Brodie Purton, 25, sentenced at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court for drug trafficking, explosives

A hapless Bendigo truck driver and would-be drug dealer was busted with cannabis because he couldn’t find anyone to sell it to.

A “foolish” Bendigo drug dealer was busted with 1600 grams of cannabis he couldn’t sell.

A hapless Bendigo truck driver and would-be drug dealer was busted with cannabis because he couldn’t find anyone to sell it to.

Brodie Purton, 25, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court to trafficking cannabis and possessing illegal fireworks.

Police raided Purton’s Golden Square home on March 7, 2023, seizing $10,300 in cash, about 1.6kg of weed and multiple boxes of fireworks.

Cannabis found during an unrelated police raid. Picture: Kelly Butterworth.

When he was arrested and charged, Purton told Bendigo police he had no access to the cannabis and he was just living at the property, before later admitting to possessing the drugs.

The 25-year-old’s lawyer told the court Purton had sold his Toyota HiLux for $21,000 and had planned to sell the cannabis to pay for his ongoing family law legal fees.

Purton claimed the $10,300 was from the sale of his Hilux, and not the proceeds of crime.

A single Australian One Dollar coin standing on its edge on top of Australian fifty dollar bills; saving money generic

Purton’s lawyer said there was “no evidence” of any transaction made, because Purton was unable to find a buyer for the cannabis.

“He foolishly got in his mind he could buy from a wholesaler and then flip the pounds,” the defence said.

Purton’s lawyer said it was a “foolish venture into a dangerous world” and asked Magistrate Dominic Lennon for a sentence without conviction, which would “weigh heavily” on the young man’s future job prospects.

The court heard Purton was currently unemployed and on Centrelink but had previously worked as a farmer, a cabinet maker, at BMW Bendigo and had owned and operated his own tow truck business.

Brodie Purton was busted with 1.6kg of cannabis.

Mr Lennon said the drug trafficking amount was “significant” and the offending was “too serious for a fine”.

Mr Lennon said drug trafficking of any kind had an “exponential effect” on regional communities, and exacerbated the serious ice epidemics plaguing many Victorian towns.

However, as this was Purton’s first offence, Mr Lennon sentenced the hapless drug trafficker to a 12 month community corrections order without a conviction and 150 hours of community service.

Mr Lennon warned Purton to “draw a line in the sand and focus on work and leading a law-abiding life.”.

The cannabis and fireworks were forfeited to be destroyed.