Norrie Adou-Watson, Maddison Lockman: Geelong’s biggest meth traffickers exposed
The extreme actions of Geelong drug dealers have been exposed, with one caught as he showed up to a house while police were raiding it. SEE THE LIST.
Geelong
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A Geelong magistrate has warned drug dealing – often “driven by greed” – can lead to “catastrophic consequences”, as the region continues to grapple with rising ice-related crimes.
The call comes as new data shows drug dealing and trafficking offences across Victoria rose by 4.8 per cent in the 12 months to March this year.
In the same period 138 drug offences were recorded across Greater Geelong, while 15 people were charged with drug dealing or drug trafficking.
At least seven people have faced Geelong courts over the past year charged with dealing or trafficking methamphetamine.
When sentencing Jeffrey Kenyon, 47, last year in Geelong, Magistrate Franz Holzer said drug dealing was “normally driven by greed and the consequences of that greed can be, in some cases, catastrophic”.
During the sentencing of Michael Jennings, who blew most of the $150,000 he made from selling his house on gambling and methamphetamine, Magistrate Peter Mellas said people who sold ice caused harm to the community. He said the criminal offending was of a high order.
“This is someone who was running a business, it may be low level, but it was a business and it’s a business which hurts people,” Mr Mellas said.
“It concerns me in pleading guilty to these offences that you still have this view of what you did as being in some kind of cottage industry that you got engaged in so you could pay off your bills and support a sustained habit,” he said
A recent report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission found Australia had the third highest methylamphetamine consumption per capita in the world.
The report, which compares the wastewater data of 28 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania was based on data collected in December 2022 and February 2023.
Acting ACIC chief executive officer Matt Rippon said Australians continued to be exploited by serious and organised criminals involved in illicit drug trafficking.
“Despite large seizures of some illicit drugs by law enforcement, the average consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, fentanyl and ketamine has increased in both capital city and regional sites,” Mr Rippon said.
AFP chief medical officer Dr Alison Money said methamphetamine was highly addictive and had a significant physical, mental and social impact on users.
“Every day, on average, 40 people are admitted to Australian hospitals from methamphetamine, heroin or cocaine use,’’ Dr Money said.
“Methamphetamine profoundly impacts every major organ system we have. A single episode of use can be sufficient to result in addiction, and the chronic usage has catastrophic consequences for physical and mental health,” she said.
Who has been before the courts in Geelong for trafficking meth?
GEELONG’S METH TRAFFICKERS
Michael Jennings
Jennings turned to trafficking after he spent $150,000 on gambling and methamphetamine and was sentenced to a community corrections order for 12 months.
The 32-year-old Belmont man pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court to trafficking methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine.
Police prosecutor Rebecca Gerdsen said police searched Jennings’ home on August 8, 2022 and found a small amount of methamphetamine in his bedroom and a mobile phone full of messages and images that showed his drug-trafficking activity.
When he was questioned by police, he said: “I get the impression I have been made out to be a big-time dealer but really that is not the case. When you have money, you live like a king,”
Mr Robertson said Jennings was exposed to substance abuse in his early 20s, but the real catalyst for his offending came when he sold his home in 2021 and received $150,000.
Patrick Harrington
Harrington, appeared via videolink in Geelong Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, dealing with the proceeds of a crime, theft and theft of a motor vehicle.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Kerrie Moroney told the court Harrington was on two counts of active bail when he and a co-accused were arrested at North Geelong with a stolen Jaguar on June 10.
Constable Maloney said police searches of Harrington found $2715 in his wallet, which he told officers was cash from selling a car.
Police searched Harrington and found two resealable bags containing ice, along with items stolen from the Autobarn.
Alyissa Mitchell
A Breakwater woman who kept a notebook detailing her involvement with drug trafficking had numerous drugs in her house, including cocaine and powerful hallucinogens, the Geelong Magistrates Court heard
Mitchell pleaded guilty to a number of charges which included trafficking methamphetamine, committing indictable offences on bail, possessing of drugs, possessing a drug of dependence and possessing a prohibited weapon.
Police executed a search warrant at her home in Breakwater on March 30 this year and found drugs around the house.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable David Vanderpol said during the search police found LSD tablets, cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis, a syringe with clear liquid, ketamine and a notebook with “written notes and connotations clearly indicating the accused involvement in trafficking”.
Mitchell was sentenced to a community corrections order for 18 months.
Norrie Aidou-Watson
Aidou-Watson faced the Victorian County Court in Geelong after he pleaded guilty to one charge of trafficking and two charges of conspiracy of perverting the course of justice from an offence in 2020.
Aidou-Watson’s Ford was stopped on September 6 of that year in Geelong, where officers found 53.9g of methamphetamine and $6270 in cash, believed to be the proceeds of crime.
The drugs were hidden in the car’s moulding.
He was sentenced to a maximum of two years and four months in prison (28 months) and the court also imposed a 20-month community corrections order, involving 200 hours of unpaid work.
Maddison Lockman
In October 2020, Lockman was found driving while drug impaired and was found with four resealable bags of methamphetamine, an ice pipe, mobile SIM cards and empty resealable bags.
As she was placed under arrest, Lockman attempted to remove a wallet and throw it into a nearby bush but was caught.
Police found another four bags of ice inside the wallet.
Lockman pleaded guilty to reckless conduct endangering injury, recklessly causing injury, trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful assault, burglary, theft and failing to appear in the Geelong Magistrates Court.
Lockman was convicted and placed on a community corrections order.
Jamaal Lewis
Lewis, a known drug dealer busted with large amounts of ice and more than $12,000 in cash, was jailed in October 2022.
His lawyer, Nick Marcevski, told the magistrate Lewis was trafficking ice to fund his personal drug habit.
Lewis was sentenced to three months’ jail.
The court also heard Lewis was previously jailed for five months in 2021 for drug trafficking after he was caught with 8.94 grams of ice, mobile phones, a set of scales and more than $3000 in cash.
Anh Ho
A drug trafficker was busted with a large amount of ice when he showed up at a Norlane drug house while it was being searched by police.
Just as officers were uncovering methamphetamine, cannabis and cash inside the Spruhan Ave home, Truganina man Anh Ho drove up to the home and was found in possession of 87.6g of ice.
Ho, who pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates Court to a charge of trafficking in a drug of dependence, was in the passenger seat of the car and came to police attention because he was trying to avoid being seen.
Officers searched the car and found three clear resealable bags containing methamphetamine in a black magnetic box between the seats, two mobile phones and $3060.05 in cash.
They also uncovered a series of text messages found on Ho’s phone that suggested he was trafficking in the early months of 2022.
satria.dyer-darmawan@news.com.au
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