Travis Peter Richardson jailed for trafficking dangerous drugs, possessing methylamphetamine

A Toowoomba man has been jailed for a brief but intense period of trafficking methylamphetamine that was discovered after a large quantity of ice was found hidden in a hotel room bathroom.

A large drug stash hidden in a hotel room bathroom was enough to bring down an ice trafficker, who later absconded from a rehabilitation facility before being arrested in a caravan park.

On November 9, 2020 police attended a Toowoomba hotel to apprehend a woman wanted on an outstanding warrant.

Toowoomba Supreme Court was told that while the subject of the warrant wasn’t found, police did discover Travis Peter Richardson at the room, as well as 2.345g of methylamphetamine, 1.5g of which was later found to be pure.

After he was arrested and taken to the Toowoomba watch house the hotel manager called police to tell them he discovered a toiletry bag hidden behind a panel in the room’s bathroom Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said.

A number of items, including a mobile phone a 12.037g of methylamphetamine, of which 8.401g of which was pure, were found in the bag.

The court was told a warrant for the phone was obtained which provided “a window” into Richardson’s trafficking operation.

While a number of messages were sent through encrypted applications, police were able to ascertain that the 35-year-old had trafficked methylamphetamine between October 28 and November 9, 2020.

Ms Friedewald told the court investigations revealed Richardson sold predominantly street level quantities of ice, and one supply of a quarter ounce, to 13 customers who were a mix of end users and street-level dealers.

The court was told as a result of these offences his parole for another unrelated drug offence was cancelled, which saw him serve out the balance of the sentence, before he was granted Supreme Court bail on May 14, 2021.

Richardson went on to attend a Gold Coast rehabilitation facility for nearly six months before he absconded and failed to appear as required in court on February 21, 2022, where a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Ms Friedewald said on April 2 this year Richardson was found in a Toowoomba caravan park and taken into custody.

In Toowoomba Supreme Court on Thursday Richardson pleaded guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs and two charges of possessing dangerous drugs, as well as a number of summary offences including unlawful possession of a weapon, possessing tainted property and possessing dangerous drugs arrising from his caravan park arrest.

Describing his client as “clearly … an addict”, Richardson’s barrister Frank Martin said his client had been raised by strict parents, and began to rebel through drug use as a teenager that had unfortunately escalated into addiction to ice by the age of 17.

Mr Martin said his client, who was a father to a three-year-old, was remorseful for his actions and his relapse had been a result of therapy uncovering traumatic childhood memories.

The court was told Richardson had the support of his girlfriend and her family, and that the relationship had formed after he had absconded from the rehabilitation centre.

Justice Martin Burns said Richardson had applied himself while behind bars to undertake educations but the “seriousness of the offences can’t be understated”.

Richardson was jailed for three and a half years, but with Justice Burns taking into consideration 112 days of pre-sentence custody as time served set a parole eligibility date of December 2, 2022.

Originally published as Travis Peter Richardson jailed for trafficking dangerous drugs, possessing methylamphetamine