Toowoomba Supreme Court hands downs jail sentence for dealer

A young man has learnt his fate after being sentenced for dealing meth and marijuana more than 150 times. His “street level” offences were only dealt with four years after they happened.

Edward Holder was sentenced to three years in jail with immediate parole after he pleaded guilty to trafficking meth and marijuana.

A 22-year-old man who sold drugs more than 150 times has avoided prison time after pleading guilty to dealing meth and marijuana.

Crown prosecutor Shontelle Petrie told Toowoomba Supreme Court Edward Holder sold drugs 156 times between March 21 and July 17 in 2017.

Of those deals, 86 were marijuana and 70 were methylamphetamine.

The court heard Holder sold up to 28g of marijuana on at least one occasion, but for the most part his dealing was for street-level amounts.

While Holder made offers to sell meth in wholesale quantities, Ms Petrie told the court most of those transactions were also for street-level amounts, up to 1.75g.

He pleaded guilty to a count of drug trafficking.

Justice David Jackson said Holder made a point of advertising his drug as “high quality”.

“An unusual feature of this proceeding is that although your phone was seized on 13 July 2017, from which this offence proceeds, you were not charged with the offence until years later, following your interception by police in March of 2019,” he said.

Holder had a small amount of marijuana on him at the time.

“The prosecution submits that your offending should be seen as at the lower level or end of the spectrum, of trafficking offending at what is sometimes called, retail or street level, and I agree,” Justice Jackson said.

He noted the support Holder had from his family, his youth, his limited criminal history and his efforts to get clean.

Holder was sentenced to three years in jail with immediate parole.

Originally published as Toowoomba Supreme Court hands downs jail sentence for dealer