Daniel James Frederick Hartz sentenced in Townsville District Court for supplying drugs is prison with mother as co-accused

A former NQ crocodile tour guide serving a prison sentence for assaulting a man was busted getting drugs delivered to jail by his mother to sell to inmates. Here’s how they did it.

Townsville Correctional Centre. Picture: Shae Beplate.

A man already serving a jail sentence for a violent offence was caught in the middle of a drug delivery with his mum and an attempt at supply the drugs to another inmate by sliding it from one cell to another.

Daniel James Frederick Hartz appeared in Townsville District Court Wednesday morning, moments after his mother Katherine Margaret Turner was arraigned for her role in the ploy and she pleaded guilty to one count of supplying drugs within a correctional centre.

Crown prosecutor Rana Aldas said the now 24-year-old had a phone conversation with his mum where they made arrangements for her to bring a quantity of Buprenorphine, also known as Subbies, to Townsville Correctional Centre.

The following day on September 23 last year, during their visit the pair hugged and Ms Turner placed two packages in the front of her son’s pants however following the visit Hartz was subject to a clothing removal search and a package with eight subbies wrapped in cling wrap fell out of his underwear onto the floor.

Daniel James Frederick Hartz sentenced in Townsville District Court for supplying drugs is prison with mother as co-accused

Ms Aldas said the value of the drugs at the time was between $8000 to $9000 total.

The crown said Hartz told his mother over the phone that authorities confiscated the one package but he still had another hidden away.

“He was intercepted trying to supply two strips of (subbies) to another prisoner and attempted to do so by attaching the strips to a broken wooden spoon with a string and passing the string under his cell and attempted to slide it to another prisoner’s cell,” Ms Aldas said

The court was told Hartz committed the offences while serving a five and a half year jail sentence for grievous bodily harm where he was involved in the attack of a man that left him with life-threatening injuries.

It was said Hartz was due for parole on May 18 this year, and had now served four months extra due to the fresh offences.

Defence barrister Harvey Walters instructed by Rennick Lawyers said his client who formerly worked as a crocodile tour guide in Mission Beach had been working while behind bars as a laundry worker.

He also said the man had experienced trauma since being in prison as he recently discovered the body of a deceased inmate before the correctional service officers arrived.

“That’s had quite a profound effect on him, he feels he’s going to engage much more with mental health,” Mr Walters said.

Judge Tony Moynihan KC highlighted the “substantial problems” supplying drugs inside a correctional centre causes the prison system.

Hartz pleaded guilty to supplying drugs in a prison and possessing drugs.

He was sentenced to 12 months’ jail which was added onto his grievous bodily harm sentence and given an immediate parole eligibility date.

Ms Turner’s sentence date was adjourned to October 10 in Townsville District Court.

Originally published as Daniel James Frederick Hartz sentenced in Townsville District Court for supplying drugs is prison with mother as co-accused