Matthew James Long sentenced after trafficking drugs through Sunshine Coast gym

A drug dealer who trafficked cocaine through his Sunshine Coast boxing gym and threatened violence to people who owed him money will spend the next year behind bars.

Matthew James Long, 35, was sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading guilty to drug trafficking.

A drug dealer who trafficked cocaine through his Sunshine Coast boxing gym will spend the next 12 months behind bars.

Matthew James Long, 35, was sentenced on Tuesday in Brisbane’s Supreme Court after pleading guilty to drug trafficking between March 2020 and March 2021.

The court heard Long had struggled with cocaine use during his 20s and after doing rehab in Noosa decided to relocate there permanently from Victoria to make a fresh start.

Matthew James Long (right) was sentenced in Brisbane’s Supreme Court for trafficking.

Long poured his life savings into a boxing gym at the end of 2019 but the ensuing Covid pandemic smashed the business causing him financing and mental health strains.

Long relapsed into drug addiction sourcing cocaine initially for personal use before progressing to selling it to fund his habit and then attempting to profit from it, the court heard.

Crown prosecutor James Bishop said Long’s offending was above street level trafficking however the amounts usually supplied ranged from 1 to 3 grams on 39 occasions.

There were also 22 attempted supplies or acts preparatory to supply including acting as a middleman in an attempt to supply two ounces of cocaine but this did not eventuate.In a bid to expand his business Long invested $50,000 into a pool of $200,000 with other dealers to buy drugs but the prospective supplier took the money and ran off without providing the narcotics, the court heard.

Justice Lincoln Crowley said Long discussed “potential violent retaliation, kidnapping or extortion to recover the outstanding money” but no plans eventuated and violence was never used.

Forensic accounting revealed Long accumulated unexplained wealth of $28,000 over the offending period while a tick list stored on his computer indicated he was owed $33,800 from customers but owed suppliers $27,000.

Long had 23 customers including some who engaged in on-supplying while 13 only bought from him once.

Matthew James Long owned a Noosa gym.

The court heard Long on occasion threatened violence to customers who owed him money.

Mr Bishop said Long sourced his drugs, which less frequently included cannabis and steroids, from Queensland, interstate and on one occasion the Netherlands where the narcotics were posted secreted in a candle.

Barrister Angus Edwards, KC, instructed by Jones and Associates, said his client had used his almost three years on bail wisely – engaging in counselling, rehabilitation and starting his own building company in northern NSW where he was now based.

Matthew James Long (right) had taken significant rehabilitative efforts since his arrest.

Justice Crowley said Long’s offending was serious as indicated by its size and scope, planning, organisation and degree of sophistication but it was not wholesale trafficking.

“You owned a gym business at Noosa... that was used by you in your conduct of the trafficking… there was references to supplies and drop-offs occurring at the premises,” he said.

“You were motivated to make money out of this. In part I accept that you were using or intended to use profits from the trafficking in order to obtain drugs for your own personal use but that does not seem to me to be the primary motivation.”

Justice Crowley accepted Long was remorseful as demonstrated by his guilty pleas, including also to possessing anything used in connection with trafficking.

Matthew James Long was sentenced to five years jail suspended after 12 months.

He said Long had made substantial efforts at rehabilitation including good behaviour while on bail.

“I accept you’re a different person now than you were when you were at the height of this trafficking,” he said.

Long was sentenced to a total of five years jail suspended after 12 months.

Originally published as Matthew James Long sentenced after trafficking drugs through Sunshine Coast gym