Crystal Gypsy Shaw, 33, pleads guilty to five charges of supplying minors with meth

A woman with mental health problems and an $80,000 NDIS package was sentenced for supplying minors with methamphetamine in Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Methamphetamine is an insidious drug.

A 33-year-old woman who gave methamphetamine to minors including a pregnant teen faced Cairns Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Crystal Gypsy Shaw, 33, pleaded guilty before Queensland Chief Justice Helen Bowskill to five counts of supplying minors aged over 16 with meth, a charge of possession and a charge of stealing.

Crown prosecutor Clayton Wallis said Shaw was sentenced in the Supreme Court in 2019 on drug related and restricted weapons charges including supplying meth to minors aged 14 and 15.

He said she suffered schizo-affective disorder and bipolar disorder and was on an involuntary treatment order to ensure medication compliance and as well as a nine-month intensive correction order.

The court heard Shaw had an $80,000 NDIS package which had just been renewed.

Mr Wallis provided a psychologist’s report which stated Shaw was at a high risk of disengagement, failed to attend on occasions, was aggressive and violent toward staff, had a poor community service record and a resistant attitude.

“Despite all of that, the report states she is suitable for a community-based order and needs structured support,” Mr Wallis said.

Methylamphetamine is an insidious drug.

Chief Justice Bowskill said that struck her as a strange conclusion considering the content of the report.

Defence barrister Rachelle Logan said Shaw, who has a son, disengaged from school at Year 11 when she had a volatile substance misuse issue.

“She has been under involuntary treatment authority (ITO) since 2018 … of course she now accepts she will be on an ITO for the foreseeable future,” Ms Logan said.

“She feels well in custody, has her depot injection once a month, has the support of her father and hopes to secure work in hospitality.”

Ms Bowskill said although Shaw did not know the teen was pregnant, it demonstrated how dangerous meth was.

“This is worse because you have committed these offences before and had a judge say all this to you,” she said.

“You have substantial NDIS assistance, I am hoping you can take advantage of that too, to access counselling and support services.

“You were discovered as part of a police operation I have learned about being in Cairns this week, which is really, really distressing, to be honest with you, such conduct going on that there is a police operation into drugs offered for sexual favours.”

She sentenced Shaw, who had served 251 days pre-sentence custody, to two years and set a parole release date of February 28.

Shaw was arrested in March 2023 as part of Operation Uniform Kalahari.

CPIU detectives established Operation Uniform Kalahari in June 2022 to investigate the alleged grooming and exploitation of vulnerable young people in the Cairns area.

Originally published as Crystal Gypsy Shaw, 33, pleads guilty to five charges of supplying minors with meth