Ourimbah: QLD drug mule Keith Anderson sentence after M1 crash

A Queensland man who lost his $150K job due to Covid before turning to cocaine and ferrying drugs has been sentenced after a wild crash on the M1 which exploded in a ball of cash and drugs.

A Rockhampton father-of-three has been sentenced for supplying commercial quantities of drugs after crashing his ute on the M1 on the NSW Central Coast and sending 42kg of cannabis, 500g of cocaine and `ice’ and nearly $40,000 cash strewn across the freeway.

Keith Anderson faced Gosford District Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to four counts of supplying commercial quantities of drugs.

He also pleaded guilty to knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and possessing seven unauthorised firearms.

The court heard the father-of-three had a steady job for about 20 years with Queensland Rail looking after a team of more than 30 staff and was earning $150,000 a year before Covid hit and he lost his employment.

The 38-year-old told the court he turned to cocaine use to “numb the pain” of losing his job and towards the end of 2020 found himself with a growing drug debt, no money to buy his family Christmas presents and in “desperate need of money”.

The court heard that’s when he agreed to drive his Toyota ute from Rockhampton to Sydney, pick up an unknown consignment of drugs and cash and deliver the goods to an address north of Brisbane.

However his plan came spectacularly unstuck when, off his head on cocaine and methamphetamine, Anderson ran up the back of another car while doing 160km/h on the M1 motorway at Ourimbah about 11.30am on December 5, 2020.

The impact sent his vehicle ricocheting into a B-double truck before coming to rest with his ute’s front wheels ripped off about 300m down the road.

Dash camera still image of the moment Queensland man Keith Anderson ran into the back of a car in front on the M1. Picture: supplied

The impact saw his vehicle explode in a cloud of 42kg of cannabis, more than half a kilogram of cocaine, `ice’ and methamphetamine and nearly $40,000 in cash, which was strewn across all three lanes of the freeway for a distance of more than 150m.

Barefoot and dishevelled, Anderson underwent mandatory blood tests which found he had a cocktail of amphetamine, methylamphetamine, cocaine and Benzoylecgonine in his system to the point it would have impaired his driving ability.

Police also located seven firearms registered to Anderson in a grey box on the back of the ute along with ammunition.

The court heard while the guns were registered to him in Queensland he was not authorised to have them in NSW.

Anderson’s ute exploded in a cloud of smoke, drugs and cash. Picture: supplied

Police also seized a vacuum sealer machine, plastic bags, rubber bands and three mobile phones.

Judge Tanya Bright said while Anderson was “extremely remorseful” and unlikely to reoffend, the amount of drugs was “very significant”.

Judge Bright sentenced Anderson to four years and eight months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and four months.

With time served since his arrest at the scene of the crash Anderson will be eligible for release on April 4 next year.