Craig Robert Hutchins appeals jail term over drug dealing business

A convicted trafficker who had at least 33 customers and an elaborate side hustle kept dealing even after police raided his Whitsunday property.

Craig Robert Hutchins pleaded guilty to 10 charges including trafficking marijuana between October 2021 and January 2023 and supplying cocaine four times over two days in October 2021. Picture: iStock

A convicted Whitsunday drug dealer who trafficked marijuana and offered to supply cocaine has pushed back against his 3.5 year jail term labelling the penalty as “too harsh”.

Craig Robert Hutchins argued he was not given enough credit for his early guilty pleas or “strong prospects” of rehabilitation, a recent court judgment revealed.

Hutchins had already spent 289 days in presentence custody when he pleaded guilty to 10 charges including trafficking marijuana between October 2021 and January 2023 and supplying cocaine four times over two days in October 2021.

He also pleaded guilty to aggravated marijuana possession.

Between February and November 2021 police were engaged in an operations targeting drug trafficking in the Whitsunday area, during which officers tapped Hutchins’ telecommunication devices.

Police recommenced these phone taps between May 2022 and January 2023.

The court judgment revealed Hutchins supplied marijuana at least 46 times and had at least 33 customers.

He supplied at least 1.911kg of marijuana for at least $25,000 and used coded communication for drugs and locations to avoid detection.

Hutchins even told one customer he was “going to concentrate on his business that paid the bills and not his struggling limousine business”.

Police raided his Proserpine home on July 1, 2022 and seized 16.1kg of marijuana.

Craig Robert Hutchins pleaded guilty to 10 charges including trafficking marijuana between October 2021 and January 2023 and supplying cocaine four times over two days in October 2021. Picture: iStock Picture: iStock/Bastiaan Slabbers

“The seizure of the 16.1 kilograms of cannabis on 1 July 2022 was a significant event because, despite being detected by police officers, the applicant continued to traffic in cannabis for a period of a further six and a half months until 12 January 2023,” Justice Graeme Crow said in the Court of Appeal decision.

Police again raided Hutchins’ address on January 11, 2023 and a vessel at Port of Airlie Marina where they found 354g of marijuana as well as $10,695 cash across both properties.

Hutchins was given a parole eligibility date of March 10, 2024 after serving 14 months of a 3.5 year jail term.

He has pushed for three years jail with parole fixed at 12 months arguing that “disproportionate weight” was placed on his criminal history.

“(Hutchins) did have a criminal history in New South Wales from 1991 to 2004, which consisted of convictions for drug possession in 1991, 1998 and 2002, as well as a conviction for supply of prohibited drug in 1998,” Justice Crow said.

“Of this NSW history, the primary judge said that the convictions were ‘quite dated and relatively minor.”

What was considered “of great significance” was the fact in April 2018 Hutchins pleading guilty to possessing drugs in excess of 500g relating to 1.6kg of marijuana “packaged in a way that was consistent with it being for sale” as well as $45,000 in cash, the judgment read.

“The applicant has not shown that the sentence is manifestly excessive,” Justice Crow said.

The appeal push was rejected for all charges except the aggravated possession of marijuana because “the possession Count was a particular of the trafficking”, the judgment read.

“I would order that the application for leave to appeal against sentence be granted; the appeal be allowed to the extent of setting aside the sentence on Count 6 and in lieu thereof ordering that the applicant be convicted and not further punished; otherwise the appeal be dismissed and the sentences imposed confirmed,” Justice Crow said.

Originally published as Craig Robert Hutchins appeals jail term over drug dealing business