Darwin court: Donny Matly sentenced for 1.8kg cannabis drug run to Katherine

A truck driving dad of four tried to smuggle $180k worth of cannabis into remote Top End communities – but the police had other ideas.

Donny Matly was sentenced at the NT Supreme Court last week. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A 34 year-old truck driver who was busted trying to smuggle $180k worth of cannabis into remote communities has been spared time behind bars.

Donny Matly was sentenced at the NT Supreme Court on May 29 for supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis.

In July 2023, Drug and Organised Crime investigators were granted a warrant allowing them to intercept Matly’s telephone calls and text messages between him and his alleged co-offender.

It was heard Matly and his alleged co-offenders travelled to Katherine from Coolalinga Shopping Centre (pictured), where they stashed the cannabis into a spare tyre.

In early August, 2023, Matly bought 1.8kg of cannabis from an unknown location in Darwin before meeting up with three alleged accomplices at the Coolalinga shopping centre car park.

The cannabis was stashed into the spare tyre wheel of a vehicle, before the group travelled into two separate cars for Katherine.

NT Police apprehended the cars as they entered Katherine and conducted a search.

The 1.8kg pack was found, and Matly and his alleged co-offenders were arrested.

Justice John Burns rejected the submission the quantity of cannabis was “not considerable”. Picture: NT Courts

The court heard the drug had a “conservative” street value of $180k.

“I also take into account that selling drugs in remote Aboriginal communities increased the objective seriousness, as such community members are particularly vulnerable,” Justice John Burns said.

“It was submitted on your behalf the amount of cannabis involved was not considerable; I do not accept that proposition.”

It was heard Matly was born in West Timor and immigrated to Australia as a young boy.

Matly completed his education in Darwin and was a father four, working as a truck driver.

Matly was convicted of drug dealing on a previous occasion. the court heard.

This was not the first time Matly had been brought to court on drug-related charges.

The court was told that in 2018, Matly was convicted of supplying less than a commercial quantity of cannabis to an Indigenous community and was sentenced to 10 months’ jail – suspended after serving two months.

While Justice Burns said Matly was not entitled to leniency due to his prior conviction, his early plea and “reasonable prospects” of rehabilitation was noted.

Matly was sentenced to two years’ jail wholly suspended by way of an intensive community correction order.

The first six months will be spent in home detention.