Noel Ryan: Banyo man sentenced over cannabis supply

In shades of cult classic Breaking Bad, a dying man who spent his life savings on a 34kg haul of cannabis in a desperate bid to support his family into the future has been sentenced.

At first glance, it seems eerily similar to the plot of Breaking Bad.

A dying man was sprung attempting to deal 34kg of marijuana in what he described as “a last throw of the dice”, having spent his life savings on the drugs in a bid to support his partner.

Now Noel Ryan, from the Queensland suburb of Banyo, has learned he will not be spending his final years in a jail cell after being sentenced for supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis.

The court heard Ryan, aged 77, was caught after he was stopped on the Pacific Mwy at Ewingsdale in the early hours January 16, 2021, for a breath and drug test.

When police officers checked the 77-year-old’s licence, they discovered he had been convicted of a drug-related offence in Victoria in 1998.

Noel Ryan (centre) leaving Lismore District Court in November 2021.

When police started to search Ryan’s car, he told them the boot was full of marijuana and he had paid $200,000 to pick the 34kg of cannabis up in Coffs Harbour.

Ryan told the police officers he put together his life savings to buy the drugs in what he described as “a last throw of the dice” to help ensure his partner, who was dependent on his income, was looked after when he died.

Police found 34.323kg of marijuana in the boot of Ryan’s car (pictured).

Ryan spent his life savings on the drugs.

In Downing Centre District Court on Monday, Judge Warwick Hunt said the unsophisticated nature of Ryan’s scheme coupled with his poor health issues meant full time imprisonment would not be in the public interest.

The prosecution, who previously argued for a full-time custodial sentence, also told the court they would no longer be seeking to place the 77-year-old behind bars because of his declining health.

The court heard since Ryan’s previous appearance he had suffered heart attacks and deteriorating kidney health. His life expectancy had also been reduced to two to three years.

Judge Hunt described Ryan’s drug supply scheme as “relatively unsophisticated” and “a deluded attempt to try and provide for his partner”.

He said Ryan’s early plea of guilty indicated his remorse and that if not for his serious health conditions, full-time custody would be the only option.

Ryan, who appeared via videolink from Queensland, was convicted and placed on a three year community corrections order (CCO).

“Good luck Mr Ryan, don’t do it again,” Judge Warwick Hunt said after delivering his verdict.