Jason Christopher McKenzie jailed for six years after drug lab find at his mum’s Tweed Heads house
The former Kirra Sports Club manager has been jailed after he was busted with a drug lab at his mother’s Tweed Heads home.
Police & Courts
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The former Kirra Sports Club manager has been jailed after he was busted with a drug lab at his mother’s Tweed Heads home.
Jason Christopher McKenzie faced Lismore District Court on Monday. He previously pleaded guilty in August to manufacturing a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, manufacturing more than the indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and possessing a prohibited drug.
McKenzie was sentenced to jail for six years with a non-parole period of three years.
This comes after police raided McKenzie’s mother’s home – where he was residing, and officers stumbled upon an ad hoc drug lab between March and June 2022.
The court heard the 40-year-old was handed 9.85g of meth powder by unknown men to crystallise.
Judge Jonathan Priestley said the offender was also manufacturing MDMA using heating equipment and was found with a small amount of cocaine.
McKenzie was motivated to offend on the condition he was allowed to consume the drugs he made. He was acting on the instructions of other people, Judge Priestley said.
The court heard there was no evidence McKenzie manufactured the drugs beyond the extraction process. The value of meth and MDMA was not high because they were not in the preferable usable states.
Judge Priestley said McKenzie previously worked at the Kirra Sports Club in Coolangatta, Queensland and had turned to drugs because of the failure of the club.
The club was demolished last month after being left in a state of disrepair with ongoing discussion for future lease plans, according to City of Gold Coast councillor Gail O’Neill.
Judge Priestley said the offender had a tough childhood where he was sexually assaulted and comes from a disadvantaged background. McKenzie has been in custody since the offending.
“Trauma led the offender to become drug addicted,” Judge Priestley said.
Judge Priestley said McKenzie accepted responsibility and accountability for his actions.
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