Bradley Alan Norman Hilton charged at Gympie with drug offences

A Qld commercial fisherman and convicted drug trafficker has allegedly now been caught with tens of thousands of dollars in cash, a “significant” amount of meth, and crabs which require “further investigation”.

A Rainbow Beach fisherman has been given bail with “strict” conditions after being allegedly caught with tens of thousands of dollars and “significant” amount of methamphetamine.

A Rainbow Beach fisherman has been given bail with “strict” conditions after he was allegedly caught with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and 72.7g of meth.

Bradley Alan Normal Hilton, 32 is charged with possessing dangerous drugs, unlawfully possessing a relevant substance or thing, possessing a used drug pipe, possessing tainted property, possessing restricted items, and possessing explosives (ammunition).

Describing the amount of meth allegedly found as “significant”, police prosecutor Allison Johnston told Gympie Magistrates Court Mr Hilton’s mobile phone had also been seized for further investigations, and the discovery of crabs at his home was being forwarded to Queensland Fisheries for investigation.

‘Accidental’: Firefighter still in hospital after raging house fire

‘Unsafe’: Police issue crackdown on Mary St crime crisis

A Rainbow Beach fisherman has been given bail with “strict” conditions after being allegedly caught with tens of thousands of dollars and “significant” amount of methamphetamine.

Sgt Johnson told the court his criminal record, which was also “significant”, included trafficking in 2019 and there was no risk of him serving too long in custody if bail was refused.

Duty lawyer Chris Anderson argued the court could grant Mr Hilton bail by imposing a number of “strict” rules to lessen the risk of him not returning to court.

He said Mr Hilton his client was paying the mortgage at his father’s Rainbow Beach home, where he was residing, and also owned three boats for his fishing business.

Magistrate Bevan Hughes gave the 32-year-old bail, noting he had not committed any drug-related offences since 2019.

He said Mr Hilton needed to comply with a number of conditions including surrendering his passport to the court, not entering or attempting to enter any international airport terminal and attending the Tin Can Bay police station once a week.

Mr Hilton was only allowed to own one mobile phone which had to be registered with authorities, and he was banned from installing any encrypted communication apps like Snapchat, WhatsApp or Signal on it.

He was ordered to reappear in court on June 9, 2025 for further mention of his case.

Originally published as Bradley Alan Norman Hilton charged at Gympie with drug offences