Wannabe tax officer worker warned after Woodford prison drug bust

A magistrate has warned an IGA supermarket manager to stop taking methamphetamine if she wants to get a job with the ATO after she was busted during a Woodford prison visit.

A magistrate has taken aim at a woman appearing on multiple drug charges, telling her she needs to get clean if she wants to land her dream job at the tax office.

Meagan Kate Peebles, 41, faced Caboolture Magistrate Court today (August 23), charged with possessing dangerous drugs, possessing anything used in the commission of crime defined in part 2 and possessing utensils or pipes that had been used.

The court heard that on March 10, Peebles went to visit a prisoner at the Woodford Correctional Centre but a scan tested positive for methamphetamine in the visitor staging area.

Police prosecutor Michael Foreman said Peebles was detained and searched by centre staff, who found less than a gram of methamphetamine and two glass pipes.

Meagan Kate Peebles after facing the Caboolture Magistrate Court for being arrested with methamphetamine at the Woodford Correctional Centre.

Peebles‘ lawyer, Andrew Stewart, said the offences occurred at a time when her partner was in prison and Peebles was feeling low, so she was regularly using methamphetamine.

“There’s no suggestion she was trying to take it into the prison, she just had it in her car at the time,” Mr Stewart said.

The mother-of-four had been clean since the incident, Mr Stewart said.

He said Peebles was a manager at an IGA supermarket but wanted to get a job with the ATO.

Magistrate James Blanch told Peebles she would not get a job at the Australian Taxation Office if she continued offending, telling her to ‘’stay off of the crack’’.

Mr Blanch ruled that since the offences predated a probation order made in the Pine Rivers Magistrate Court in June this year, there would be no further punishment. He also did not convict Peebles.