Drug smuggling taxi driver gets over two years’ jail despite character reference from alleged traffic offender

A TAXI driver found guilty of supplying drugs to be sold in a remote NT community will spend two-and-a-half years behind bars, despite receiving a glowing character reference

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A TAXI driver found guilty of supplying drugs to be sold in a remote NT community will spend two-and-a-half years behind bars, despite receiving a glowing character reference from a man who is also currently before the courts.

Mohammad Qadir, 31, was found guilty by a jury of supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis to be sold in an Indigenous community.

The court heard Qadir supplied around $60,000 of cannabis to a local drug dealer who sold it on to members of the community of Gunbalanya in late 2018.

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In sentencing submissions on Tuesday, Qadir’s lawyer Jon Tippett QC tendered positive character references for his client including one from Pakistan Association of the NT President Fahad Khalid.

Khalid recently faced the Darwin Local Court charged with driving his Audi 84km/h over the speed limit through a red light.

Mohammad Qadir sprints from the Darwin Supreme Court after the second day of his trial accused of supplying cannabis to remote Indigenous communities.

Mr Tippett also said Qadir had been the primary carer of his sick father since 2014 and had worked hard in business and as a taxi driver.

However, Crown prosecutor Naomi Louden said records provided were “inconsistent” with Qadir being a full-time carer, saying he was known to be away interstate and in Gunbalanya for up to a month at a time.

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Ms Louden said Qadir told Corrections officials he does not accept the guilty finding of the jury. “He does not accept responsibility for the offending,” she said.

“He still fails to take responsibility for what was essentially a large supply into an indigenous community of a schedule two dangerous drug.”

Qadir was sentenced to five years in prison to be suspended after serving two years and six months.

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