Meth cook jailed for producing ice, selling gun

A young concreter and drug kingpin has been jailed for running a meth lab in Brisbane as well as posting a gun in the mail to a friend.

A young Moreton Bay concreter has been jailed for running an incredible methamphetamine lab in a garage, selling the drug and precursor chemicals as far north as Cairns and also selling a handgun.

Caboolture man Troy Alexander Shaw, 27, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court to multiple drug and weapons offences including producing meth, escaping from lawful custody, possessing more than 2g of meth and supplying a Category H handgun.

The court heard Shaw’s offending occurred between January 3 last year, when he was released on parole for another matter, and April 6, when he successfully escaped from Richlands Watchhouse.

The court heard Cairns-born Shaw came to police attention in March last year during another investigation after a telecommunications warrant identified him as a person of interest.

The warrant uncovered communications between Shaw and another person, indicating Shaw was producing and selling meth from an Eight Mile Plains address.

Further seized communications revealed Shaw, in company with another, had sold a ‘Derringer-style’ handgun to a friend in Cairns for $4000, as well as ephedrine and hydrophosphoric acid, precursor chemicals used to produce meth, on dates between March 10 – March 30. The gun and chemicals were sent in the post.

Caboolture methamphetamine cook Troy Alexander Shaw, 27. Picture: Facebook

The court heard a search warrant was executed at an Eight Mile Plains address about 8am on April 2 last year.

Shaw and three others were located inside the residence.

Inside, they discovered a cornucopia of illicit items: 85 “clandestine lab” items were seized, including a condenser, frying pan and burner, acetone, methylated spirits, a pH testing kit, digital scales, 200 unused needles and syringes, and a large quantity of alcoholic wipes.

In addition to this, police discovered four vials of liquid steroids, including nandrolone and testosterone; vials of hydrophosphoric acid and pseudoephedrine; and 5.4g of liquid methamphetamine.

He was arrested and charged, but on April 6 made a desperate play for freedom which was partially successful.

About 3.35pm, while the remanded prisoners were exercising, an announcement came over the intercom requesting a man for release.

Shaw approached the prisoner, the court heard, and said, “I’m getting out of here, tell me your details or I’ll bash you”.

Using the obtained details, Shaw was released from the watch-house.

When the mistake was discovered a short time later, police set out in search of Shaw, who was apprehended at the nearby Richlands Plaza after attempting to flee from two uniformed officers.

The court was told Shaw, a concreter, was a hardened criminal who had spent only about six months in the community since his 18th birthday due to his offending and was on the verge of becoming “institutionalised”.

He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, which will be served entirely in a correctional centre due to a mandatory minimum sentence on the supplying a Category H handgun charge.

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