Giuseppe Michael Catalano guilty of six counts of meth supply

A farm worker convicted of supplying meth multiple times was brought undone by text messages found on a former associate’s phone.

Text messages used to convict Giuseppe Michael Catalano reveal haggling over prices up to $1600 with his client anxious over his reliability.

Text messages between a meth dealer and his client haggling over price and making arrangements to meet up were revealed as the dealer was sentenced in a Bundaberg court.

Giuseppe Michael Catalano, 25, pleaded guilty to six counts of supplying a dangerous drug (methylamphetamine) in Bundaberg District Court on Friday, September 26.

Assistant Crown Prosecutor Chantelle Le Grand told the court Catalano came to the attention of police through an operation targeting methylamphetamine supply in March 2023, when they downloaded the contents of a mobile phone belonging to his former associate.

Text messages on the phone showed Catalano discussing the supply of methylamphetamine to the associate three times between February 1 and May 31, 2021, with Catalano, 23 at the time of the offending, offering to supply the drug on two occasions and actually supplying it on one occasion.

In the text messages captured by a police operation, Catalano offers his associate an $800 ‘half-ball’ or a $1600 ‘8-ball’ of methylamphetamine.

In the text messages heard in court related to the actual supply of the drug, Catalano offered the associate an “hb” costing $800 or a “b” costing $1600, using the abbreviation for a half-ball, weighing 1.75g, and 8-ball, weighing 3.5g.

Catalano told the associate the methylamphetamine he was supplying was “the best stuff you’ll get around at the moment its filth”, and arranged to meet him at a high school to supply him with an $800 half-ball of the drug.

The associate confirms he will buy an $800 half-ball after doubting whether Catalano can be trusted.

Catalano’s defence barrister, Callan Cassidy, told the court that in the two-and-a-half years since the period of his offending his client has been drug free and obtained employment on a Bundaberg farm, with the farm operators providing a character reference tendered in court, including a guarantee of his ongoing employment with them.

The court heard Catalano had re-engaged with his young daughter, and spent his time off caring for her every fortnight.

After stopping by an ATM, the associate meets Catalano at a high school to complete the deal.

Judge John Allen KC told Catalano supplying methylamphetamine carried a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, due to the drug being “a scourge on our society, causing untold misery and leading to the destruction of lives of addicts and the misery of those close to them”.

Taking into account Catalano’s age, employment, good character references and the fact he was caring for his daughter, Judge Allen sentenced him to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Originally published as Giuseppe Michael Catalano guilty of six counts of meth supply