Judge blasts woman for being a drug mule and smuggling drugs in to her incarcerated son

A judge has chastised a woman who claimed she smuggled drugs to her incarcerated son out of misguided loyalty and said he had ‘no sympathy’ for her ‘deplorable conduct.’

Marguerita McGill, 50, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court on Thursday to a charge of unlawfully supplying dangerous drugs within a correctional centre. Picture: Steve Pohlner

A woman who claimed she smuggled drugs to her son in prison out of misguided loyalty has been blasted for her “deplorable conduct” but avoided being sent to jail herself.

Marguerita McGill used coded conversations with her imprisoned son in which they arranged for her to be a “mule” to carry a package of drugs to him at the Brisbane Correctional Centre.

McGill, 50, on Thursday pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to a charge of unlawfully supplying dangerous drugs within a correctional facility.

“Quite frankly as a mature woman I feel absolutely no sympathy for you I’m afraid, I don’t regard this as being borne out of some sort of loyalty, I can’t see how you can be loyal to your son by providing him with a dangerous drug,” Judge Jeffrey Clarke told the woman.

“I think I’ve made it clear what I think of your conduct – it’s deplorable.”

Marguerita McGill, 50, who was busted smuggling drugs to her son in prison, leaves the Brisbane District Court, George St Brisbane, on Thursday after pleading guilty to a charge of unlawfully supplying dangerous drugs within a correctional centre. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Director of Public Prosecutions legal officer Michael Christensen said on May 28, 2022, McGill was stopped by police when she arrived to visit her son Jai who was serving a sentence at the Wacol prison.

They discovered 6.8 grams of the ‘heroin replacement drug’ buprenorphine.

“She denied knowing what was in the package but told police she was aware it was a powder and she was worried it could kill her son or other prisoners,” Mr Christensen said.

“Police investigations revealed Jai had been in contact with the defendant and organised the package to be placed in a letterbox and taken to Jai in prison.

“The defendant is to be sentenced on the basis she acted as a mule to deliver drugs in prison on her son’s wishes.”

Mr Christensen said the offending was a “deliberate defiance of the administration of justice” and had the potential to harm inmates.

“It also has the potential to disrupt prisoner’s attempts at rehabilitation inside correctional facilities,” he said.

Marguerita McGill, 50, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court on George St on Thursday to a charge of unlawfully supplying dangerous drugs within a correctional centre after she was busted smuggling drugs in to her incarcerated son. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Defence barrister Sarah Cartledge said McGill, a cleaner, was a mother of four and had a minor criminal history.

She said the woman was motivated by “misguided loyalty” to her son.

“Yeah I don’t know that people who are loyal to their children, adult or not, provide drugs to them,” Judge Clarke said.

He sentenced McGill to nine months’ imprisonment wholly suspended for 12 months.

He said people providing drugs such as buprenorphine to prisoners was becoming “quite a prevalent offence”.

“It’s a dangerous drug, it can have very harmful effects for users and has been seen to drive the black market in prison,” he said.