COVERT OPERATION: Miner jailed after cops intercept his calls

A mine worker has been jailed after covert police busted his drug trafficking operation in the state’s North West.

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A MOUNT ISA father has been jailed after police tapped his phone and busted his drug trafficking operation.

Dion Russell-John Gee Gee, 31, will spend six months behind bars after pleading guilty to four charges in the Townsville Supreme Court on Friday: three counts of supplying dangerous drugs and one count of trafficking.

The court heard the father of one was operating as a street level dealer when police launched an operation targeting drug trafficking and supply in Mount Isa in 2019 and intercepted his calls.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew Lowrie said Gee Gee’s trafficking offence involved street level dealing of methylamphetamine and MDMA over the period of one month from October 28 to November 23, 2019.

Mr Lowrie said there were eight customers who were given six supplies of meth in amounts ranging from point one of a gram up to 3½ grams.

Dion Russell-John Gee Gee fronted the Townsville Supreme Court on Friday. Photo: Facebook.

The court heard Gee Gee sourced half a ball of methylamphetamine and sold at least 6.45 grams of the dangerous drug for $3480.

On three other occasions MDMA was sold and “the prisoner said he would make $250 for every half a gram sold”, Mr Lowrie said.

The court heard Gee Gee also propositioned another person to contribute $1000 so they could purchase a quantity of cannabis together.

“The accused estimated they could earn $4000 each from the sales,” Mr Lowrie said.

Mr Lowrie said a head sentence of three years imprisonment was in range.

Gee Gee’s barrister Michael Hibble said his client’s rehabilitation was “well under way”.

He said Gee Gee was a “middle man” assisting his friends supply drugs and taking a cut of the money.

Mr Hibble said the qualified boilermaker had since removed himself from his circle of friends in Mount Isa and was now employed as a fly in fly out miner in the Northern Territory.

In sentencing, Justice David North described Gee Gee’s operation as a “small, street level enterprise”.

He said it was of “serious concern to the community” and stated ice and meth was “associated with a lot of collateral crime” in the community.

Justice North sentenced Gee Gee to three years imprisonment.

He will be eligible for parole on November 14 after serving six months behind bars.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as COVERT OPERATION: Miner jailed after cops intercept his calls