South Ripley truckie Trevor Carter sentenced for 2kg of cocaine under truck mattress

The lure of fast cash proved to be the undoing of a truckie veteran who was busted transporting blocks of cocaine between Sydney and Brisbane.

A Queensland truck has been sentenced for having 2kg of cocaine stashed under his cabin mattress. Picture: Marcus Brandt

A truckie caught with a 2kg cocaine stash under his cabin mattress during a heavy vehicle inspection on the M1 Motorway at Mount White said he would take back his actions in a “heartbeat”.

Trevor Ross Carter, of South Ripley, appeared via audio visual link from jail at Gosford District Court on Friday for his sentence before Judge David Wilson.

The 56-year-old, supported by his wife and daughter, had previously pleaded guilty to commercial drug supply, drug possession, and drive vehicle while illicit drug present in blood.

An agreed set of facts tendered to the court state Carter was pulled over at the inspection station about 9.40pm on September 30 2021 where he underwent a drug test which was positive for methylamphetamine.

Police also searched Carter’s Kenworth Prime Mover, which had unladen trailers, and found 2.385kg of cocaine hidden under a mattress in his cabin along with 1g of methylamphetamine and a glass pipe.

Carter was stopped by police at the Mount White heavy vehicle station on the M1.

The cocaine was wrapped in two blocks, each weighing about a kilogram, with a purity of 75 per cent and 84.5 per cent purity.

The facts state Carter and a man were texting over between September 28 and 30, using language such as “can you bring me a hb?” and “any freight tonight?”.

Carter was caught with more than 2kg of cocaine hidden under the mattress in his truck.

On the morning of September 30, Carter and another truck driver drove to an industrial premises on Hale St, Botany which houses FedEx.

The facts state about 10.20am Carter walked away from his prime mover and left the driver’s door of his cabin open.

The other driver walked to Carter’s truck empty-handed and left with a black sports bag which Carter photographed earlier and sent to a contact with a message “I’m not coming back ever I have a bag full of coin going to buy a house for cash lol”.

The other driver left and returned 12 minutes later, heading back to Carter’s truck carrying a green enviro bag under his arm before leaving the complex empty-handed.

Carter left Botany about 6.40pm before being stopped by officers at the Mt White truck station who noticed he was “nervous and defensive”.

Carter was taken to Gosford police station where he told police he may have been set up during an interview, according to the facts.

He said he drove the prime mover five days a week and had driven from Brisbane to Sydney to drop trailers at FedEx in Botany before making the return trip.

Carter was also found with MDMA and a glass pipe.

Carter told police he was at the Botany parking bay all day on September 30, having a drink with a fellow truckie called “Chubby” before sleeping most of the day, dropping his parcels at FedEx and leaving.

Carter testified at his sentencing the plan was to transport the drugs from Sydney to Brisbane. He said he would park his truck at FedEx, go to bed and someone would “come and put it in my truck while I was sleeping”.

He said he was transporting the cocaine on the promise of $2000 and had been told he had the potential to earn $10,000 a week and was going to put the money towards a deposit on a house.

Carter said he had worked as an interstate truckie for 30 years, often working 60-70 hours a week, and had developed a drug habit with the methylamphetamine for personal use to stay awake.

Carter was sentenced at Gosford District Court. Picture: David Swift

He said courses he attended in jail had “made me think about things differently”.

“I want to get off drugs, stay off drugs and stay away from drugs,” he said.

“I regret it … putting drugs in the community. I regret the mental and financial stress on my family. I’ll do anything to stay out of here.

“If I can change what I have done, I would change it in a heartbeat. But I can’t change it.”

Carter’s lawyer said Carter’s role was nothing other than a courier.

“He wasn’t the organiser or involved in the distribution,” he said.

He said with 14 months already spent in jail, Carter could serve a sentence in the community to seek treatment for his drug habit.

The Crown prosecutor agreed, however pointed out the large amount of drugs and its purity.

Judge Wilson described Carter as an “honest, reliable witness” and said he had a low “if not non-existent” risk of reoffending.

He said Carter was not part of a criminal organisation, was a person of good character and not a threat to the community.

Judge Wilson noted time already spent in prison and sentenced Carter to three years imprisonment to be served in the community so he can access treatment. He was also ordered to abstain from drugs.

Carter’s family embraced after the sentence with plans for him to return to Queensland to serve his sentence.