Jack D’Arcy: Bongaree man guilty of drug trafficking

A young Moreton Bay man trafficked cannabis and supplied MDMA from his room at his parents’ house, a court has heard.

The parents of a young Moreton Bay man were shocked when police searched their home, arresting and charging their son with drug trafficking, a court has heard.

Bongaree man Jack Austin D’Arcy, 22, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Friday to 11 drug offences, most seriously a count of trafficking and six counts of supplying a dangerous drug.

The court heard D’Arcy trafficked cannabis on-and-off between December 25, 2017 and August 16, 2020, when he was arrested and charged.

During the search warrant, police were drawn to D’Arcy’s bedroom which “smelled” of cannabis, inside which they discovered 97g of cannabis, a bong, digital scales and clipseal bags.

An analysis of his mobile phone revealed the drug trafficking, which consisted of at least 57 discrete drug supplies over the time frame to 11 customers.

Bongaree drug trafficker Jack Austin D'Arcy, 22. Picture: Alex Treacy

D’Arcy would “supply cannabis once or twice a week”, but then sometimes not for months at a time, the court heard.

On one occasion, he abstained for four months, only to fall back into his old ways when contacted on social media with an offer to buy a pound of cannabis for $2850.

D’Arcy was aware of the dangers of his operation; in one seized message, he told an associate, “I could get locked up for this, I may as well make as much (money) as I can”.

The court accepted there was a mixed personal-commercial aspect to his cannabis trafficking.

The six supplying a dangerous drug counts related to offers or actual supplies of party-drug MDMA.

The court heard D’Arcy had an “inconsequential” criminal history, which consisted of being busted with an MDMA capsule at a music festival, for which he was placed on a bond.

Defence counsel Lachlan Ygoa-McKeown told the court his client had been cannabis-dependant since the age of 17 or 18.

He said his client had since turned his life around, cutting off old associates and finding respectable work at a Caboolture packaging facility.

Judge Gregory Lynham implored D’Arcy to think of his long-suffering parents, both of whom were supporting their son in court.

“You’ve caused your parents a great deal of stress,” he said.

He sentenced D’Arcy to three years’ imprisonment with immediate parole, “not without a significant degree of hesitation”.