Kurt Howlett: Caringbah cocaine dealer sentenced in court
A magistrate has told a cocaine dealer, who sold drugs to support his own habit, that he has shown “great strength” to overcome his entrenched drug issues.
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An automotive interior designer caught dealing bags of cocaine all over Sydney’s south was acting as an “errand boy” for an alleged mastermind to support his own drug habit.
A court heard Kurt Howlett, 29, dealt cocaine eight times in three months in Caringbah and Woolooware to compensate his co-accused and alleged cocaine syndicate head Bryce Ellis for the cocaine he was using himself.
His barrister Allan Goldsworthy told Magistrate Kate Thompson Howlett was merely a street-level supplier at the direction of somebody else.
“It was to acquit what he would otherwise owe to Bryce Ellis for the cocaine, and he got himself into this terrible cycle,” Mr Goldsworthy said.
“He was introduced to the cocaine by the co-accused, who supplied it to him, and then used him as an errand boy.”
Howlett pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and Ms Thompson sentenced him to a 14-month intensive corrections order and 100 hours of community service.
“He’s used drugs in the past on a regular basis, on his own admission he’s committed criminal conduct in the past,” Ms Thompson said.
“It was multiple supplies and it was a significant amount – it’s five times the trafficable quantity.”
However, Ms Thompson acknowledged Howlett had a difficult childhood and had taken great strides to rehabilitate himself after successfully doing so once before in his teens when the court heard he was caught in the wrong crowd.
He relapsed into drug use in 2019 after a long-term relationship breakdown.
“I accept that he took steps to quit an entrenched drug habit and that shows great strength,” Ms Thompson said.
“He spent 41 days in custody (after his arrest) and I accept that has been a strong lesson in deterring him from continuing this behaviour.”
Howlett’s family was considerably relieved when the Woronora man, who owns his own automotive interior design business in Sydney’s southwest, avoided full-time jail.
“He’s not a no-hoper,” Mr Goldsworthy said.