To the outside, Upper Hunter identity Felicity Fraser appeared a hard-working country mum who spent her time tending to her family and horses and socialising in showjumping and polo circles.

But a court heard that away from the shows and chukkas, Fraser was battling undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder from several life-changing experiences - including the loss of a child and the infidelity of her husband - when she became embroiled in a conspiracy to import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into Australia from South America.

The once-lauded breeder of Melbourne Cup winning horse Shocking, now aged 44, will have at least another four years to contemplate her decision to follow a workmate and known criminal into planning the series of cocaine shipments after Newcastle District Court Judge Peter McGrath sentenced her on Friday to a maximum nine-and-a-half years’ jail.

Judge McGrath had granted Fraser a 33% discount on what would have been a 15-year jail term for a variety of factors and, with time already served since she was dramatically arrested in February last year, she will be eligible for parole in August, 2027.

Fraser, along with her former boss and convicted criminal Peter Ritson, pleaded guilty to conspiring to import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug into Australia.

Not one gram of cocaine ever made it via any shipment, and Ritson will be sentenced later this year.

The court heard Fraser decided to take a job doing book-keeping for Ritson after the pair had met while working at a horse transport business in Scone.

But not long into her employment, Fraser realised the company was a front for Ritson‘s ultimate plan on shipping huge amounts of cocaine hidden in teak and zeolite from a contact in Peru.

He told her they would pull in $6 million for the first two shipments and then $10 million for each shipment after that.

The court heard Fraser, who was struggling to pay the bills, remained at the company, assisting in the planning for the importations between late 2017 and her ultimate arrest in February last year.

The first shipment was supposed to have 100kg of cocaine hidden in teak. But even after buying specialist blue lighting to find markings on the timber, they realised there were no drugs.

Two further shipments - set to be 200kg each - also arrived without any cocaine and a fourth shipment was thwarted as the worldwide pandemic hit.

Judge McGrath said he was satisfied that Ritson employed Fraser “as much for her naivety and good character as her administrative skills” when setting up a company which Ritson would tell police was a gate - or a company which appeared legitimate to import the cocaine.

“This does not explain why she stayed involved in a serious illegal enterprise for so many years once she became aware that this is what is business involved,” Judge McGrath said.

“Certainly Mr Ritson had become a confidante, the only one with whom she discussed her marriage breakdown and a trusted friend, something which I accept was engineered by him and done quite cynically.”

Judge McGrath also questioned whether the shipments, which Ritson had boasted he expected to be paid $6million for the first two imports and $10million per shipment after that, were ever going to eventuate from Ritson‘s apparent contacts.

The pair had organised small “sample” deliveries of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine but each promised delivery of bulk cocaine never arrived.

“The view I have reached is that Miss Fraser did not join Mr Ritson as an employee knowing he was involved in plans to import very large quantities of prohibited drugs into Australia, “ he said.

“But when this became apparent soon enough in her employment with him, she naively but willingly joined him in his plans, and remained involved in the hope of financial reward, which would help her family and give her financial independence.”

In fact, an agreed statement of facts said Fraser had told a friend they were expecting “wads of cash”.

The facts said Fraser told her friend that “there will be enough there at Christmas time to have a good Crhistmas and buy some bloody plane tickets”.

“I am sitting here looking at 100 odd thousand…bank…not for me…for them this is like for the order, This is the big one Al,” Fraser said, according to the facts.

Judge McGrath found that the enterprise was “not a conspiracy among equals” between her and Mr Ritson - who would have ended up with most of the profits - but that Fraser’s role was “important and performed willingly”.

He also found Fraser had left Ritson’s company on her own when she realised there would be no huge payday.

“I must say at the end of all the evidence and submissions it still remains somewhat of a mystery how a woman of Miss Fraser‘s background character and morals became knowingly involved in plans to import large quantities of this prohibited drug and maintain this involvement for three years,” Judge McGrath said.

He later added: “I‘m satisfied that Miss Fraser herself is so chastened by her experience of arrest, charging and imprisonment, for the public humiliation and denunciation and the effect of what she has done on herself and her family, that she will not offend again, either in a light manner, or indeed in any other manner.”