Appeal judges find suspended sentence handed to drug dealer Mathew Meginess ‘manifestly inadequate’

A BABY-FACED drug dealer who set himself up as a ‘one-stop shop’ selling party drugs to mates will spend six months behind bars after a panel of Supreme Court judges described the wholly suspended sentence he was handed as ‘manifestly inadequate’

A panel of Supreme Court judges has described the wholly suspended sentence handed to a baby-faced drug dealer as ‘manifestly inadequate’

A BABY-FACED drug dealer who set himself up as a “one-stop shop” selling party drugs to mates will spend six months behind bars after a panel of Supreme Court judges described the wholly suspended sentence he was handed as “manifestly inadequate”.

Mathew Meginess early last year pleaded guilty to supplying commercial quantities of MDMA, ketamine and LSD after police intercepted a package of the drugs at Palmerston post office, which Meginess had ordered on the dark web.

Meginess, who was 24 when first sentenced, was ordered on Monday to surrender himself within a week to begin serving his stint behind bars.

The judges – Justice Judith Jelly, Justice Jenny Blokland and Justice Peter Barr – found Meginess’ sentencing judge, Justice Graham Hiley, wrongly concluded there was “nothing to be gained” by sending him to prison.

Justice Hiley had found Meginess had “very good” prospects of rehabilitation and might be at risk of “falling into the company of new friends” in jail who might jeopardise his future prospects.

The panel of appeal judges said the fully suspended sentence “overlooked the prime importance” of sending a message to other would-be drug dealers in the community.

The three judges said sending Meginess to jail in an effort to deter would-be drug crims “is intended to benefit the community by a personal reduction in the number of individuals prepared to engage in commercial drug dealing”.

The fully-suspended sentence “failed to reflect the true criminality of the offending,” they said.

The judges re-sentenced Meginess to the same “very lenient” three-year head sentence, and ordered him to serve six months behind bars.

When police raided Meginess’ house in mid-2017, they found “a variety of used miscellaneous express post mail packages” suggesting the Meginess had ordered drugs online before.

Police also found a pill packing press, which the judges said suggested he was “gearing up” for intended ongoing commercial drug supply.

Meginess was one of 26 drug dealers sourcing their wares online to face court as a result of a six-month joint NT Police and AFP drug screening program, Operation Evolution.