‘Postie’ cops nab cocaine trafficker after drugs found in package
Police pretended to be post office workers to catch a drug trafficker who had been mailed cocaine in a package that was intercepted at Melbourne Airport, a court has heard.
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Police posed as post office workers to catch a drug trafficker who had been mailed cocaine, a court has heard.
Jia Cuthbertson was trying to clear a gambling debt when he took delivery of 800g of drugs from Thailand.
The Court of Appeal heard Border Force intercepted a package of car shock absorbers at Melbourne Airport in October 2017 and found cocaine hidden inside.
The cardboard box was addressed to “Larry Longworth” with delivery addresses in Bayswater and the Heathwood post office.
The court was told Cuthbertson made three phone calls to Australia Post asking about his parcel delivery time, variously telling staff it was a gift from his partner overseas and that it was car parts.
An automated text message was then sent to Cuthbertson telling him the parcel was ready to collect at the post office.
CCTV filmed Cuthbertson enter and leave the post office empty-handed twice before he finally approached the counter and spoke to the undercover Australian Federal Police officer.
He handed over fake documents in the name of Larry Longworth and signed for the package before being arrested.
A search of his car found an imitation hand gun, an air pistol, two cocaine testing kits and a set of scales.
Cuthbertson made full admissions, telling police he was about $80,000 in debt to a friend in Thailand after losing the money gambling at “underground” casinos. He showed police text messages where the man threatened his family if he did not clear the debt by taking delivery of the cocaine.
Cuthbertson pleaded guilty to three charges including importing a marketable quantity of drugs.
But he appealed against his minimum prison term of five years and nine months, arguing it was excessive.
The court heard Cuthbertson had come from an “extraordinarily difficult” family upbringing, with a violent father who led him into crime.
He had started to reform his life and was in steady employment when in 2010 his partner gave birth to conjoined twin daughters. One girl died shortly after birth, the other 14 months later.
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Cuthbertson spent most of that time in hospital recovering from a head injury he got after being knocked from his bike. He now suffers depression and post traumatic stress disorder.
His lawyer argued these personal circumstances along with Cuthbertson’s plea of guilty and obvious remorse made the sentence too harsh.
Justices Phillip Priest and Karin Emerton dismissed the appeal and said while the jail term was on the higher end of the scale it was not outside the sentencing range.