Townsville Supreme Court: Taylor James Barrett jailed for MDMA, cocaine trafficking offences

A mines worker who sold drugs alongside his roommate will spend the same amount of time behind bars despite being labelled as having ‘directed’ the trafficking enterprise while in court.

Townsville Supreme Court: Taylor James Barrett jailed for MDMA, cocaine trafficking offences. Picture: ON FILE

More than two months after his co-offender and ‘subordinate’ was sentenced to jail for his part in a drug trafficking operation, the man ‘behind the wheel’ has been dealt with and handed down an almost identical sentence.

Taylor James Barrett appeared in Townsville Supreme Court on Friday afternoon supported by his family as they heard the details of his two-year long drug trafficking offences that occurred between December 2019 and September 2022.

Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate told the court the 27-year-old’s offending came to light two years ago when police searched his and Cameron John Soutar’s Greenwood Dr property.

In the kitchen police found 25.130g of pure MDMA which Barrett originally claimed was for personal use, another gram of pure MDMA elsewhere, a vile of testosterone, an MDMA testing kit, digital scales, a scoop made from a $20 note and $16,000 in cash, the court was told.

Soutar, 25, was sentenced to four years’ jail suspended after serving 12 months for an operational period of four years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking on September 27.

The court was told while Soutar supplied cocaine and MDMA to 30 regular customers and Barrett supplied the drugs to 11 regular customers, it was Barrett calling the shots and was he who had “runners” assist in supplying drugs.

“(Soutar) sold drugs on (Barrett’s) behalf sometimes,” Mr Walklate said.

“The messages with Soutar indicate that it was Barrett who was in the driver’s seat, it’s he asking for money and calling the shots.”

Bank statements showed Barrett had 110 unexplained deposits that totalled more than $56,000, the crown said.

Defence barrister Claire Grant instructed by Anderson Telford Lawyers argued that the “only factor that places some divergence” on the pair was that Barrett trafficked for a longer period of time than Soutar.

She said that Soutar had more customers during his trafficking period which should be taken into account.

“That is an important feature as it is well known and often commented on by Your Honour’s Brother and Sister judges that the effects of illicit substances readily and often affects users in disastrous ways,” Ms Grant said.

“And the number of persons a trafficker has exposed to drugs is a relevant feature in assessing their culpability.”

She also highlighted there was no evidence to point to the turnover, amount of customers, profit or frequency that occurred in the earlier stages of Barrett’s trafficking.

“Like Soutar, Barrett is young, has no criminal history, comes from a loving and supportive family, has a trade qualification, he’s embarked upon hard work not only in his chosen trade field but in other areas in which he has shown entrepreneurial interest,” his lawyer said.

She told the court he started using party drugs which led to him selling amongst friends and had told a psychologist he believed the trafficking was “stupid”.

Justice David North noted the man’s “unblemished” history prior to the trafficking, while handing down a sentence.

“The submission was that your activities were more serious than Soutar, you directed Soutar and had him involved as a runner for some time and you were engaged in trafficking for a longer time,” he said.

However, His Honour noted the points made by Barrett’s lawyer and said he believed he should be sentenced on the same basis that Soutar was sentenced.

“Importantly, this conclusion was informed by your excellent prospects of rehabilitation,” Justice North said.

Barrett pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, supplying drugs, possessing drugs in excess of 2g and possessing a thing and property in relation to drug trafficking.

He was sentenced to four years jail, suspended after serving one year for an operational period of five years.

Originally published as Townsville Supreme Court: Taylor James Barrett jailed for MDMA, cocaine trafficking offences