Benjamin James Rowe, 21, sentenced to one year for drug supply, but immediately released

A man who organised drug deals using a bizarrely named Facebook Messenger group chat has avoided jail time despite pleading guilty to supplying drugs including cocaine and cannabis.

Benjamin James Rowe leaves the Brisbane Supreme Court after he was sentenced for drug supply. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

A man who organised drug deals using a Facebook Messenger group chat titled “Planet of the Dank” has avoided jail time, despite pleading guilty to 18 drug supply offences.

Benjamin James Rowe, 21, successfully supplied, or offered to supply, drugs – including cannabis, codeine, cocaine, and diazepam – on 17 occasions over the course of around two months between April 19, 2022 and June 22, 2022.

During sentencing in the Brisbane District Court on Monday, Crown prosecutor Arielle Spiteri pushed for a 12-18 month prison sentence, with no actual time served behind bars.

“There were seven actual supplies of cannabis – they were small quantities, six of those were in the form of a rolled cannabis cigarette,” Ms Spiteri told the court.

“Another actual supply was of codeine.

“He [Rowe] offered to supply cocaine on four occasions, in quantities ranging between 0.5 grams and 2 grams.

“There were a further four occasions of offering to supply – two of those were cannabis, one was codeine, and one was diazepam.

“He did use a Facebook group message that was titled ‘Planet of the Dank’ in which he advertised the drugs he had available to participants in that group.”

Defence barrister Michael Bonasia said Rowe had witnessed family violence involving male relatives as a child, and he unsuccessfully tried to revive his mother in 2020 after finding her unresponsive after she suffered a heart attack.

Mr Bonasia said Rowe had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It is little wonder, and often a sad story presented in your Honour’s court, where such traumatic effects [result in those involved turning] to drugs and dealing drugs to overcome those issues in the past,” Mr Bonasia told the court.

“This is a man that requires ongoing support from his family and his network and mental health professionals. He is not a man who necessarily needs to go to jail today. The community would be most protected [because] he has undergone rehabilitation.”

The court also heard Rowe suffered spinal fractures and ongoing nerve pain after falling at a waterfall. He partially treated his ongoing pain with prescribed medicinal cannabis.

Mr Bonasia said Rowe now lives with his grandparents and his life had stabilised.

Rowe pleaded guilty on Monday to 17 counts of supplying dangerous drugs and one further count of possessing anything used in commission of crime, which related to an iPhone seized by police during their investigation.

In sentencing, Judge Anthony Rafter noted Rowe had a “minor, but relevant, criminal history” including drug possession and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Judge Rafter described the current offending as “serious”, but also said Rowe is “a young man with good prospects of rehabilitation”.

Judge Rafter noted the trauma Rowe suffered during his childhood and youth.

Rowe was handed a one-year prison sentence, but Judge Rafter ordered he be immediately released on parole, meaning Rowe walked free from court on Monday.