Townsville man Paul Ivano Kuliani sentenced after meth bust in Bunnings ute

A man who was linked to a massive crime syndicate, used a hire car to drive to Cairns and back to Townsville for a drug drop. Here’s how it unfolded.

Townsville man Paul Ivano Kuliani sentenced after meth bust in Bunnings ute

Phone calls between an alleged drug supplier and courier revealed the difficulty the driver had in renting a car before commencing a drug drop from Cairns to Townsville, which ultimately saw the driver intercepted in a Bunnings-hired ute.

Paul Ivano Kuliani was intercepted by police in Yabulu after he travelled to FNQ to retrieve a kilogram package found by police in the footwell of the passenger seat, and had in it 716g of methamphetamine inside, with a purity of 73 per cent.

Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate told the court on March 30, 2023 the now 49-year-old father was arrested for possessing the package of drugs so big it couldn’t fit in the glove box of the ute.

He said the man was discovered by police during phone calls with their main target, an alleged drug supplier who has been charged with trafficking and still awaiting finalisation.

Mr Walklate said in the lead up to the collection, the pair had discussions about how Kuliani was able to speed on his way to Cairns but couldn’t do so on the way back to avoid detection, as well as arrangements for a hire car from Bunnings.

The main alleged drug supplier had also asked Kuliani for more accurate and specific time frames around when he would return to Townsville with the drugs to let other drug suppliers know.

The driver was arrested and released on bail only to be found to be in possession of a small amount of meth eight months later.

Defence barrister Claire Grant instructed by Salt Legal said the exact amount of drugs in the package had not been established between the two men, and Kuliani wasn’t aware of the quantity so could not have known it were for a commercial purpose.

She said the prosecution couldn’t demonstrate that he thought he would benefit in a financial way from his “foolish decision” to assist the co-accused.

Ms Grant outlined the man’s health history explaining he had experienced mental health difficulties as well as physical conditions that first occurred from a traumatic head injury as a child.

She said it had impacted his state of mind and ability to work.

Reference letters were also submitted on the man’s behalf from his family who referred to him as “kind” and a “family man”.

Justice David North considered the man’s physical conditions and said his treatment would be interfered with while in custody.

“I accept you would not have been aware of how much methamphetamine was contained in the overall substance in the bag,” His Honour said.

“But you would’ve been able to make an informed decision in my view,” referring to the man’s previous drug charges.

Kuliani pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing drugs.

He was sentenced to six years jail and given a parole eligibility date of November 5, 2026. His Honour declared the 63 days he spent in pre-sentence custody as time already served and a serious drug offence certificate was ordered.

Originally published as Townsville man Paul Ivano Kuliani sentenced after meth bust in Bunnings ute