'Genuine remorse' didn't save drug supplier from jail term

POLICE found large amounts of illicit and prescription drugs when they executed a search warrant at his home.

Stephen Hausfeld, 36, has been sentenced over drug supply offences.

A NORTHERN Rivers man will spend at least three years in prison for drug supply offences.

Stephen Hausfeld, 36, appeared in the dock of Lismore District Court on Friday for sentencing on five counts of drug supply and one charge relating to a large sum of cash.

The offences related to a total of 355.1 grams of cocaine and 247.4 grams of methamphetamine as well as an amount of ocycodone and cannabis leaf.

The court heard Hausfeld had been earning $700 per week on Centrelink benefits and was paying $680 in rent at his Banora Point home.

Hausfeld was arraigned in June last year and a trial was scheduled for November.

After a failed challenge of the legality of a police search warrant, Hausfeld entered guilty pleas to those six charges.

Judge Peter Whitford said it had been submitted Hausfeld "always made it clear that he would not defend the charges" but that he was advised the warrant "might have been illegal" when it was executed in April, 2017.

He said the three significant issues were of the quantity of drugs, their purity and Hausfeld's role in the offending.

Judge Whitford said while there were "not many of the usual indicia of supply", there was planning evident in the "smorgasbord" of drugs seized.

In regards to two charges which related to the meth and a large quantity of cocaine, Judge Whitford said the substances were "sources of considerable societal harm".

He said the cash seized was "substantial", but not alleged to be part of any broader criminal enterprise.

"This is offending which, in its totality, is serious indeed," Judge Whitford said.

Hausfeld, aged 34 at the time of the offence, spent 25 days in custody before being granted bail on May 2, 2017 under "onerous" bail conditions.

The court heard he'd spent time in a "quasi-custodial" rehabilitation program since being granted bail.

Judge Whitford was satisfied Hausfeld was "genuinely remorseful".

"It seems to me.. Mr Hausfeld has reasonably good prospects of rehabilitating himself," he said.

He said the defence had asked for an aggregate sentence "of three years of less", but he found this would be "inadequate".

"The community would, reasonably, expect the (sentence) to operate as a deterrant no only on Mr Hausfeld but to others," he said.

"There is no reasonable alternative to full time custody."

He sentenced Hausfeld to six years' prison with a non parole period of three years.

He will eligible for parole from January, 2022.

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