Meth in regional Queensland 2025: What’s next for the regions
Meth’s decade-long reign of Queensland’s drug scene is over as experts warn white powder power is rising in its place. MAPPED HOTSPOTS, DRUG CRIMS NAMED
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Meth use is at its lowest point in a decade in regional Queensland and in its place experts warn cocaine is becoming an easier drug to obtain.
Drug offences have decreased across regional Queensland with one drug expert claiming meth is actually on its way out, warning users are already changing tracks.
Dr Nicole Lee— adjunct professor at the National Drug Research Unit Curtain University — said meth use was at its lowest point in a decade, with fewer than one per cent of Australians using it.
“There was a bit of a peak in regional areas around 2016, it seems to have dropped a bit and stabilised since then,” Dr Lee said.
At its highest point meth was pouring into the community through both foreign manufacturers in south East Asia and domestic producers.
“All of those countries have put measures in place that tried to reduce the accessibility … of precursor material from China,” she said.
Dr Lee said ice use became prominent in 2014 and peaked in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It used to be 60 per cent of Australia’s meth was imported and 40 per cent was produced domestically,” she aid.
“An interesting thing that’s happened is more people were using speed … fewer people were using ice and over a period of time that difference switched around.
Coke the new vogue
The new ‘go to’ drug is cocaine and Dr Lee said hallucinogens have also seen an uptick.
She said meth use in regional areas like Mackay was about the same as in a capital city.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s wastewater drug program, which measures drug levels in sewerage and other wastewater sources across the country, backed this up identifying meth consumption had decreased in capital cities and remained stable in regional areas.
ACIC principal drugs specialist Shane Neilson said meth use in regional Queensland experienced a sharp decline due to the Covid-19 pandemic but cocaine had increased “roughly eight fold”.
Detective senior sergeant Chris Eaton runs the Queensland police Criminal Investigation Branch in Mackay and has fought drugs on the front lines for “the best part of 30 years” in Mackay, the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
Detective Eaton said police were seeing more cocaine seizures in regional areas “than we ever have”.
In Bundaberg in December last year 11 men were charged with trying to smuggle $760m worth of cocaine into Australia, the biggest cocaine bust at the time nationwide.
The men were arrested after federal investigators tracked their recreational vessel True Grit meeting a cocaine ‘mother ship’ in international waters 460km off the Queensland.
Eleven men and two juveniles were arrested after the joint Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police operation, codenamed Tyrrendor.
On the Sunshine Coast police in the past year charged a father and son with dealing cocaine together, allegedly creating a business that spanned the entire Sunshine Coast, with dozens of regular customers.
Police allege Kim Andrew White and Marshall Andrew White ran the “multimillion dollar” cocaine business with runners.
Investigations through Operation Victor Ignite revealed profits rolled in due to the ever-rising price of cocaine, which sold for $225,000 a kilogram, up from $195,000.
Detective Eaton said once upon a time it was considered the drug of choice for the more affluent in society.
“Today, in certain circles its becoming the drug of vogue for younger people.”
He added that the vast majority of meth was still imported and cocaine and meth had similar adverse impacts on the general public.
“There’s no one better than the other … they both have linked to organised crime, health considerations and they both have the ready ability to shatter families,” he said.
“It can also be very cyclic”: Offences down in some regions, up in others
The rate of drug offences has decreased broadly across regional population centres in the last decade according to the Queensland Police Service drug offence numbers.
Mackay saw a decrease of 5 per cent from 2015, Cairns a decrease of 8 per cent and Townsville’s rate of drug offences dropped by 1 per cent.
The Sunshine Coast saw a sharp decrease of almost 40 per cent.
However Bundaberg had a rise of 46 per cent and regional councils like Isaac, the Central Highlands and Charters Towers also saw an increase.
Detective Eaton said while there was some statistical evidence to show drug use was going down he said “it can also be very cyclic”.
“If we see a drop that’s fantastic, but we’re also very aware it’s an area that flows over into other areas very quickly. We’re looking at that whole picture.”
Dr Lee said “ it is impossible to get rid of drugs altogether”.
“Drugs come in and out of fashion and trends go down … among young people it is decreasing.”
While the rate of offences may have decreased in some regions, she said the overall population of illicit drug users had remained “pretty stable” for the past 20 years.
“70 per cent of drug users use once a month or less,” she said.
Detective Eaton said technology presented new challenges as drugs today were available online through the dark web.
“People who might not have traditionally entered the drug world and are then looking to street dealers have now found with the internet there’s another supply chain,” he said.
Both Detective Eaton and Dr Lee agree while meth may be decreasing, it’s not going anywhere.
“Meth, like heroin, cocaine has been around a long time,” Detective Eaton said.
“The reality is it still will be.”
ACIC principal drugs specialist Shane Neilson said the difference in enforcement for cocaine verse meth was the greater emphasis on managing imports.
“The focus there is identifying source and shipment countries for cocaine to come into Australia and seize as much as possible before it gets here,” Mr Neilson said.
“I think the important message we always get across is our intention to work with our police partners so they can prioritise their resources.
“Also, with our health partners, for them to consider in terms of treatment and education in where drugs pose the highest threat.”
METH, COKE CRIMES OF REGIONAL QUEENSLAND
On an uptrend or a downtrend meth has been a scourge in the regions, giving police and magistrates steady work daily.
Below are some notable meth and coke related offences where people faced court over the past few years.
Power station worker sells meth, drugs to support own addiction
Timothy Daryl Barron, 43, arranged to supply more than 20 grams of methamphetamines and trafficked marijuana and cocaine to support his own cocaine addiction and to buy things for his wife and three children.
A Callide Power Station employee, had at least 22 customers and at least one employee.
Barron arranged a supply 20.15 grams of methamphetamines in 27.085 grams of substance during his drug trafficking periods which was to be picked up from a Gracemere residence.
It was also estimated that Barron sold 3.727 kilograms of marijuana for $46,580 and 24 grams of cocaine for at least $10,800.
Justice Graeme Crow sentenced him to four years imprisonment.
Single dad busted for massive drug deal
Michael John Jensen, 35, was busted with 10.8 grams of pure tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 3.352 grams of pure methamphetamines when police searched his Thabeban residences on July 7, 2023, as part of a drug operation in Bundaberg.
Justice Graeme Crow said the evidence before the court showed Jensen used “a little boy he is related to peddle drugs” while Jensen had under 10 regular customers.
Police seized two phones during the search on July 7, 2023, which revealed some of the trafficking details including supplying marijuana to customers interstate via Australia Post with one supply being for 141.748 grams for $1450 and he purchased 4.5kg for $45,000 from a supplier identified as TikTok in a group chat.
Justice Crow sentenced Jensen to five years prison, declared 391 days pre-sentence custody as time served and set parole eligibility for November 6, 2024.
Man busted at pub with meth, 3D printed gun
A man was busted with a 3D printed handgun and drugs at the Central Hotel in Maryborough.
Andrew Thomas Wells’ room was raided on January 18, 2025 where police found an 18cm long, concealable gun.
Wells was also caught with five grams of meth in a clipseal bag, LSD and a telescopic baton and glass pipes and arrested on scene.
The court heard he had previous convictions for possessing large quantities of meth, including 9.138 grams on one occasion and 17.14 grams on another.
Wells was given a sentenced to 15 months imprisonment and given immediate parole eligibility.
‘Gone off the rails’: Meth takes mine worker to prison
Meth was the excuse a man with “great family support” had after he was caught drilling out the locks of a stolen LandCruiser.
Aaron Lee Martin appeared in Townsville Magistrate Court, September 10, 2025 and pleaded guilty to eight charges including: unlawful use of a motor vehicle, wilful damage, possessing dangerous drugs, and enter premises and commit indictable offence.
Martin was on parole for previous drug and property offending when was caught drilling out the locks, damaging gates as he evaded the lawful owners, and being found with meth in his possession.
He also pleaded guilty to stealing a motorcycle, generator, two-way radio and registration plates from a shed and imprisoned for nine months.
Mule for 2kg of bikie meth
A drug mule busted with $250,000 of methamphetamines on the Bruce Highway claims she didn’t know she was working for outlaw bikie gangs, a court has heard.
Lily Francis Hounslow, 26, was caught on the Beef Capital’s Neville Hewitt Bridge on October 20, 2022 with 1.993kg substance containing 1.513kg of pure meth concealed in five large clip-seal bags in the tail-lights of a Volkswagen Amarok.
Supreme Court justice Graeme Crow said the meth was worth about $250,000.
Justice Crow said Hounslow told police she was travelling to Mackay and the car belonged to “a friend of a friend”.
Police also located 59.1 grams of pure cocaine in 248.5g of substance which had a street value of about $80,000.
She was sentenced to six years prison with 19 days pre-sentence custody declared as time already served and parole eligibility from May 12, 2026.
Mum released after drug bust, caught with meth
Hannah Jane Quant, 33, was busted with 8.42g of pure meth in an 11g substance.
She had recently been released from prison after serving jail time for possessing $55,000 in drugs, which included 35 grams of pure meth.
Police raided her Boyne Island home on October 13, 2022 and found $3105 cash in her wallet.
Quant pleaded guilty to one count each of possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug, possessing a used glass pipe, possessing Australian currency suspected to be the proceeds of a drug crime and possessing property suspected of being used in a drug crime.
She was sentenced to three years prison with immediate parole.
16yo sentenced for meth fuelled crime spree
A 16-year-old boy faced 41 charges in Cairns Children's Court after he was arrested for a meth-fuelled spree breaking into houses, stealing cars, and driving dangerously, admitting to police he was “fried off his face”.
Magistrate Mandy Bowen said the dangerous driving offences occurred between 9am and 10.15am while roads were busy with people heading to work and dropping their kids at school.
The court heard he drove toward police and came within 10cm of the vehicle before narrowly avoiding collision on the road.
A police prosecutor told the court the teen admitted he was “fried off his face” during some of the offending.
The teenager has spent 115 days in detention in Cleveland and Ms Bowen declared that as time served, further sentencing the teenager to four months probation upon his release.
Young Mum plots $4,000 deal
In 2021 A Moranbah mum started selling meth when she was 19-years-old, offering to supply another Moranbah resident with a gram.
Melanie Bree Shearman then later sold exchanged 1.75g for $1100, but this was all precursor to a much larger deal.
On September 17, 2021 Shearman planned to supply 7g for $4000, but before the deal could be completed she was busted by police, with her house searched on November 12, 2021.
District judge Loury warned her she would not “remain an attractive woman” if she continued with her addiction.
Shearman was imprisoned for 15 months wholly suspended for two years in April, 2025.
Country town woman’s meth trade brought down
A Tully woman who told a court she was dealing meth to support her own and her former partner’s drug habits has been sentenced in Cairns Supreme Court for trafficking, supplying and producing drugs.
Stacey Jane Cifuentes, 42, pleaded guilty in Cairns Supreme Court to eight charges, including trafficking dangerous drugs between April 2023 and October 2023, supplying, possessing and producing a dangerous drug, and possessing things used in the connection of a drug offence in 2023.
Police officers analysing Cifuentes’ bank accounts identified more than 100 electronic transfer deposits, totalling more than $25,200, and she also made cash exchanges.
She was sentenced to three-and -a-half years’ prison, suspended immediately for three-and-a-half years to take into account the 203 days she spent in custody, and also sentenced her to two years’ probation.
Mum’s meth fuelled attack
A mum of three attacked her ex-partner’s new girlfriend in a violent “home invasion” style incident while on meth.
Chloe Victoria Smith was previously convicted and spent eight months of a three-year term behind bars for her role in her then partner Reece William Luscombe’s meth trafficking business. He was jailed for nine years.
While on bail for serious drug offending and under the influence of meth, Smith went to a South Mackay home where she lashed out against the other woman punching her multiple in the neck and chest.
Smith was initially charged with grievous bodily harm, but this was replaced with assault occasioning bodily harm, and burglary, to which she pleaded guilty.
Because of Smith’s ongoing parole, Judge Lynham determined the best option to allow her to continue with her rehabilitation was 18 months jail, immediately suspended. Convictions were recorded.
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