Adelaide street-level drug dealers sentenced in SA’s courts over the past months
A chef, a mum, a gambling addict, two cokeheads – here are some of the street-level drug dealers busted and sentenced lately in our courts.
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Some of were chefs, some fell into drug and gambling addiction, while others were given multiple chances to turn their lives around but ignored it. Here are some of the street-level drug dealers sentenced in South Australia courts over the past few months.
Daniel Lee M Panetta
Jerry cans filled with 88kg of GHB and a bolt action rifle wrapped in an Australian flag landed Daniel Lee Panetta in custody in 2020.
While in custody on those charges, Panetta had another inmate use a meal and a Weet-Bix box to get drugs into prison – for personal use and bartering.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug, aggravated possession of a firearm without a licence, two counts of trafficking in a controlled drug, two counts of possessing a controlled drug in a correctional institution and breaching bail.
The court heard Panetta had a history of offending and started abusing drugs at a young age.
Panetta came from a good family and “had an unremarkable childhood” but everything changed after being traumatised. He would later use drugs to help with intimate relationships, the court heard.
Psychologist Luke Williams described Panetta “as being locked in a self-perpetuating and escalating cycle of offending” in which his periods of incarceration increased the severity of addiction and “led to further offending behaviour”, Judge Jo-Anne Fuller noted.
Mr Williams diagnosed him with stimulant use disorder, an opioid use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and a binge eating disorder.
Earlier, Panetta gave evidence that the 88kg of GHB – or fantasy — found at his home by police in 2020 was not his and he was storing it to have it tested and fixed for an associate he met in prison, who would give him a litre of the drug in return.
“You arranged for an associate to test the fantasy and you were told that it was of poor quality and worth next to nothing,” Judge Fuller said.
“Although I accept that this is what you were told and you believed, the factor of the matter was that you were in possession of a significant amount of fantasy worth in the region of $80,000-$130,000, depending on how it was sold.”
Judge Fuller sentenced him to seven years in prison with a non-parole period of five years and seven months, backdated to May 2020.
Simone Gabriella Clarke
A horticulturalist who started growing her own supply of cannabis cultivated far more than anticipated, and the more-than 3kg of usable cannabis was bound for the street.
But Simone Gabriella Clarke, 50, opened her door on April 17, 2021, in Mannum to find officers possessing a general search warrant looking to investigate the “strong odour” of cannabis.
Inside, they found a 175cm-tall plant, with a 2m circumference, which produced enough cannabis to fill two eskies, a plastic bin and another container of still-drying cuttings.
Judge Anthony Allen said during sentencing on October 24, 2024, that Clarke did not originally plan to sell her illegally grown goods, but came up with other plans after seeing the “significant yield” she had produced.
“During the process of harvest, it would have been readily apparent to you that you were now dealing with a very significant quantity of cannabis,” Judge Allen said.
His Honour said Clarke intended to distribute the cannabis to friends and family, but had not yet begun the process of actively selling it on the street.
Clarke pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in a controlled drug, and one count of cultivating a controlled plant – and was entitled to a 5 per cent reduction in sentence for “facilitating the course of justice”.
Judge Allen sentenced Clarke to three years and six months imprisonment, reduced to three years, three months and 28 days with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.
His Honour found there was good reason to suspend that sentence on a $500, two year good behaviour bond.
Clarke was also fined $500.
Veronica Coenraad
A police search of a home at Flinders Park in 2020 led to the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker and her roommate.
Veronica Coenraad, 43, and Kyle Collenette, 58, were both arrested and charged with multiple drug offences on May 19, 2020, after police searched their share home.
The court heard police found a total of 372gs of fantasy in the house and shed.
Both pleaded guilty to drug manufacturing, while Coenraad also pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in a controlled drug.
An analysis of Coenraad’s phone revealed messages consistent with the trafficking of fantasy, the court heard.
At the time of the offence, 370 mls of fantasy was worth between $350 and $1860 depending on the quantity in which it was sold, Judge Anthony Allen said in sentencing.
“Police also located a methylamphetamine laboratory which had been dismantled and placed into a suitcase in the rumpus room,” Judge Allen said.
“Both of you had made efforts to import pseudoephedrine, presumably to be used in the manufacture of methylamphetamine.”
He said there was video evidence that showed the “process of manufacture being undertaken” inside the house but it was apparent that the process, while illegal and dangerous, “was relatively rudimentary and not for any commercial gain.
“I sentence you both on the basis that you were manufacturing for personal use and that there is no commercial aspect to your activities in relation to that count.”
The court heard both Coenraad and Collenette had extensive criminal histories, with Collenette’s spanning across three separate states and including “lengthy terms of imprisonment”.
Judge Allen said it was clear at the time of her arrest that Coenraad was addicted to various illicit substances including both fantasy and methylamphetamine and her “low-level” street dealing would’ve only produced a marginal profit that likely would have been used to buy more drugs.
He sentenced her to three years and three months imprisonment but suspended the sentence on the grounds she had turned her life round “extensively” over the past four years.
Collenette was sentenced to three years and one month with a non-parole period of two years five months and nine days.
Marc Aaron Hodgson
A drug-trafficking father of four who breached three existing bonds while on home detention will spend up to the next five years in prison.
Marc Aaron Hodgson, 39, was sentenced in the District Court by Judge Michael Durrant in October after multiple run-ins with the law across a four-year period.
In 2020, Hodgson was sentenced for three counts of drug trafficking and driving while disqualified. He was jailed for two years, five months and one week – suspended upon entering into an 18-month good behaviour bond.
However, at a Sheidow Park OTR in July 2021, police searched Hodgson’s car and found him to be in possession of 27.3g of crystals and crystalline powder – 18.2g of which was methamphetamine – as well as 25g of clonazolam.
They also found a digital pocket scale and two glass smoking pipes along with a series of text messages on his phone that “related to drugs and drug trafficking”, the court heard. He was subsequently found to have breached his 18-month bond.
Hodgson was again granted bail but, five months later, breached his bond for a second time after testing positive to meth, and then a third time in December.
In June, 2022, Judge Durrant revoked Hodgson’s bail and issued a warrant for his arrest after he didn’t appear in court for sentencing submissions.
Two years and three months later, Hodgson was arrested on September 1, 2024.
In court, Judge Durrant noted Hodgson’s “relevant” criminal history with the use of illicit drugs and drug trafficking.
“In early 2018, your 14-year marriage broke down and your partner sought a divorce,” Judge Durrant said. “You struggled with that decision and started taking drugs to feel better. By February 2018, your drug habit was so extreme that you were unable to work and you lost your job. By August 2019, you found yourself in prison for driving while disqualified and for breaches of a bond.
“In November 2018, you were convicted for driving with meth in your system. Since 2019, you have a history of failing to comply with bail and have been convicted four times for driving while disqualified.
“I note that you have been awarded significant leniency before and have failed to take advantage of that, and that your trafficking offending is serious.”
Judge Durrant revoked Hodgson’s suspended sentence and sentenced him to a total of five years and five months in jail with a non-parole period of two years and eight months – backdated to September 1, 2024.
Christopher Lu-Bow
This McLaren Vale chef resorted to trafficking drugs to fund his addiction to fantasy after a significant hand injury – and the Covid pandemic – sent him into a spiral after the loss of his job.
Christopher Lu-Bow, 37, avoided jail time when he was sentenced in the District Court in October after pleading guilty to attempted trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug. Both the prosecution and his defence counsel accepted he was a “street-level” dealer.
On March 28, 2022, Lu-Bow attended the Hackham post office and attempted to collect four parcels, but was refused because the address on his driver’s licence didn’t match the address on the parcel.
Police were advised of the suspicious nature of the parcels and attended the post office some time later where they found 10 small bottles – totalling 100ml – of fantasy inside the parcels. The drugs were substituted for an “inert substance”, repackaged and then collected by Lu-Bow a day later.
Police attended his home and located the parcels, which weighed 3.7kg. Lu-Bow was arrested shortly after.
An expert witness told the court that, if sold in 1ml amounts, the 3.7kg of drugs could have been worth up to $40,700.
In court, Judge Anthony Allen noted Lu-Bow attempted to pay off his drug addiction by selling his personal possessions before he resorted to trafficking fantasy.
“You worked with various companies as a chef until you sustained a significant hand injury in 2019,” Judge Allen said. “From the time of your hand injury until about May 2023, that restricted your ability to work effectively. That, combining with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, for practical purposes, put an end to your ability to work in the hospitality industry.
“At the time of this offending you were using significant quantities of fantasy on a daily basis, with you observing that your consumption of this destructive drug would increase during periods of high stress.
“The injury to your hand, loss of stable employment, the failure of your fledgling business – together with periodic isolation resulting from the pandemic – led to you becoming more heavily addicted to drugs.”
Lu-Bow was sentenced to three years and five months jail with a non-parole period of one year and seven months – suspended upon entering into a two-year good behaviour bond.
Fei Lin
After developing serious addictions to gambling and drugs – to the point where he was betting$30,000 a month – this Cambodian man was jailed for more than eight years for his “persistent” history of meth trafficking.
Fei Lin, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking methylamphetamine before being sentenced in the District Court by Judge Paul Muscat in October.
Lin’s longstanding history of trafficking played a big part in the length of sentence, with Judge Muscat noting four convictions throughout 2014 and 2015 – three while he was on bail.
In 2017, Lin was sentenced to six counts of trafficking and was jailed for seven years and seven months, four years non-parole.
Upon released in November, 2019, he began “leading a stable life”.
However, when he formed a relationship with a person using meth in 2023, Judge Muscat noted “things quickly got out of hand”.
“Through her and her associates, the temptation to use drugs was simply too great for you to resist,” he said.
He began turning up to work late or while on meth and was fired mid-2023, Judge Muscat said.
Against the background of “significant drug debts” and his gambling addiction he began dealing drugs to fund his addictions, hotel rooms and living expenses, the court heard.
In August, 2023, police stopped a car while Lin was in the passenger seat and found him to be in possession of 26.25g of meth and $1650 cash.
He was arrested and charged with trafficking meth but was released on bail.
Four months later, police searched him and located 106.13g of meth, digital scales, plastic resealable bags and $4300 cash. Lin was refused bail and has remained in custody ever since.
Judge Muscat sentenced him as a “serious repeat offender”.
“Your offending behaviour on this occasion is identical to that which you engaged in during 2014 and 2015 and for the same reasons, except that it appears to have been in greater quantities than before,” he said.
“Sustaining a gambling addiction of $1000 a day reveals that you were gambling $30,000 each month that you required money for.”
Lin was sentenced to eight years and six months imprisonment with a non-parole period of six years and 10 months – backdated to December 26, 2023.
James Blairs
A 34-year-old man who’d established an “ongoing enterprise” as a street-level drug dealer narrowly avoided prison time when he was sentenced for numerous charges in the Adelaide District Court in September.
James Hartley Blairs, 34, received a suspended sentence for drug trafficking, cultivating and unlawfully possessing firearms charges after police found dried cannabis, a large cannabis plant, two gel blasters and a homemade double-barrelled shotgun at his property during a search in April 2022.
On April 29 of that year, police attended Blairs’ property in relation to a matter involving his former partner.
Upon entering, they found a large cannabis plant in the backyard along with dried cannabis in multiple locations across his home.
More cannabis was found in two aluminium barbecue trays under Blairs’ bed as well as another two trays and five large jars in the laundry.
During sentencing on September 3, 2024, Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said all the cannabis found in the house weighed less than 2.9 kilograms.
She said Blairs’ mobile phone was seized during the investigation and messages were found consistent with the selling of the cannabis at a street-dealer level.
“Messages in April 2022 revealed that you were offering to sell half pounds for $1400,” Judge Sutcliffe said.
“Earlier messages dating back to April 2021 indicate you were selling an ounce for $220.
“Those earlier or previous sales … show that you had involved yourself in an ongoing enterprise rather than a one-off.
She said Blairs would be sentenced on the basis that he was a heavy user of cannabis who cultivated the drug for his own use and to sell to others.
Blairs was sentenced to one year, 11 months and 30 days in prison with a non-parole period of nine months and 27 days.
His sentence was suspended on the basis that his offending was not part of a broader enterprise, he had exhibited good character in the past and it was he expected to respond well to a suspended sentence with supervision, Judge Sutcliffe said.
Dale Pavy and Dylan Tiver
A cocaine addict avoided jail after he and his roommate foolishly embarked on a drug enterprise to fuel their addictions.
Dale John Pavy, 33, walked from court after police uncovered a huge drug haul, including thousands of dollars of cocaine.
During sentencing, the District Court heard police searched an address at Noarlunga Downs on November 24, 2022.
Dylan Tiver was present and found in possession of cocaine and $11,000 in cash.
Police then went to his home address in O’Sullivan Beach where Pavy, who lived with Tiver, was present.
Police found two vacuum-seal bags each containing 41.6g of cocaine, steroids, MDMA, cannabis plants and prescribed equipment.
Pavy’s mobile phone was seized and messages revealed Pavy was trafficking from 2020 to 2022.
The cocaine was worth approximately $9900 per bag.
The court heard it was accepted some of the cocaine, which was in joint possession of the men, was for Pavy’s personal use.
“You had a serious drug addiction at the time and that you were primarily selling cocaine to fund your significant addiction,” Judge Joanne Fuller said.
The court heard Pavy was introduced to cocaine by Tiver, a high school friend of his, when he moved in with him.
Pavy pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
Tiver, who pleaded guilty to commercial drug trafficking, relating to 289g of cocaine, was ordered he serve his four-year jail sentence on home detention.
The court heard Pavy’s arrest had been a wakeup call and he had since ceased all drug use.
Pavy was sentenced to three years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of 22 months.
Due to his rehabilitation efforts and lack of criminal history, the sentence was suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond.
“You are now a father. You have everything to lose,” Judge Fuller said.
Kailin Lothian
A mother is behind bars after she was dealing methamphetamine to support her own habit, a court has heard.
Street-level dealer Kailin Leigh Lothian, 35, was back to her old tricks only days after being bailed for her first offence.
During sentencing, the District Court heard police searched an Elizabeth Vale house on August 2, 2023.
They located a total of 3.3g containing methamphetamine, tick lists, cash and ice pipes.
A mobile phone was seized that contained messages indicative of drug trafficking.
Only 10 days later – and while Lothian was on bail for the first offence – police pulled over a vehicle in which she was a passenger.
A search of her handbag revealed three plastic resealable bags containing a total of 9.84g of methamphetamine and $2210.
Lothian pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.
The court heard the mother-of-three was classified as a low-level street dealer selling drugs to support her own addiction.
Lothian was sentenced to two years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of 10 months.
The sentence was backdated to March 20, 2024.
Robin and Scott Custance
A father turned to selling cannabis to support his freeloading son after he moved back home with his four children, a court heard.
Robin John Custance, 63, and his son Scott James Custance – who assisted with the business for a brief period – both avoided jail after they turned their lives around.
During sentencing, the District Court heard police attended a Dernancourt address in May 2023 and searched the property.
They found just under 1.5kg of cannabis stored in jars and plastic containers in a games room.
A mobile phone belonging to Robin revealed he had been trafficking cannabis since October 2021, including posting ads of the product.
The court heard Scott’s offending related to him looking after his father’s business over about a three-day period in May 2023.
“You received messages on Facebook and made semi-regular sales to people at the local shops,” Judge Heath Barklay said.
Robin pleaded guilty to commercial drug trafficking, while Scott, 34, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
The court heard Scott, who was addicted to drugs and gambling, moved back into the family home in 2019.
“As a result of his addiction issues any money that he got was spent on his addictions and so he did not contribute financially for the care of his children, or pay his way in the house,” Judge Barklay said.
The court heard Robin lost his job as an Uber driver when the Covid pandemic hit and by that time Scott, his new partner and four children were living at his home and not paying their way.
“It was against that background that you … started using cannabis to deal with your own stressors, and then from there graduated to selling it,” Judge Barklay said.
“What you were doing was providing for your son’s family in circumstances where he was old enough to have done so himself had he had his affairs in order.”
The court heard Robin had since taken control of his finances by legitimate means, while Scott had gained employment as a forklift driver.
Robin was sentenced to two years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months.
Due to his rehabilitation efforts and abstinence from drugs, he was ordered to serve the sentence on home detention.
Scott was sentenced to nine months jail, which was suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond.
“Gentlemen, I have obviously given you both a chance. Robin, in your case I have given you a chance perhaps when others may not have,” Judge Barklay said.
Luigi Capone
When Luigi Mimmo Capone sped past police in September of 2022, officers followed him and found 1.68g of methylamphetamine, cannabis, an ice pipe, numerous unused plastic resealable bags and a black pouch containing $3630 cash in his car.
During a further search of his home that month, police found and seized 55.68g of meth.
Capone pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled drug and one count of trafficking in a controlled drug.
During sentencing in the District Court on Thursday, November 7, Judge Allen said Capone had an extensive criminal history, including drug-related offending, for which he had been sentenced for in this court.
The court heard in 2017, the 47-year-old contracted viral meningitis, which led him to be placed into an induced coma.
After that, he started using methylamphetamine and became reliant on the drug.
“You were significantly addicted to methylamphetamine at the time of this offending,” Judge Allen said.
“There’s a clear nexus between your methylamphetamine addiction and your drug trafficking offending.
“It would seem that you were selling, in order to at least in part support your own addiction.”
In sentencing Capone, Judge Allen said he had regard to his rehabilitation efforts and progress made since being released on home detention bail.
However, he had also considered his multiple prior breaches of bail, bonds and court orders.
He was sentenced to three years, ten months, with a non-parole period of two years.
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