Harrison Samuel Farmer granted bail over 81g meth charges in Rockhampton

The identity of one of two men arrested in major raids in the Rockhampton region this week and the amount of drugs he was allegedly caught with can be revealed.

One of two men arrested after raids in the Rockhampton region this week has applied for bail.

Harrison Samuel Farmer, 21, appeared in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Friday.

Mr Farmer, from Park Avenue, was charged on Wednesday with 10 offences, including two counts of possessing more than two grams of a schedule one drug, two of possessing dangerous drugs (cocaine, cannabis, and LSD), possessing anything used in the commission of crime, two of possessing utensils, one of tainted property, one of possessing a weapon (antipersonnel substance) and one of an offence to buy or possess S4 or S8 medicines or hazardous poisons.

These charges were laid after police raided two properties earlier this week.

Queensland Police Service said in a statement the raids were part of a Rockhampton CIB investigation into the alleged trafficking and supply of dangerous drugs.

Detectives from Rockhampton Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) have charged two men following investigations into the trafficking and supply of dangerous drugs at two Rockhampton addresses yesterday, 16 July.

Police on Wednesday executed a search warrant at an Angela Rd property in Rockyview around 7am where it will be alleged detectives found hydroponic drug lab equipment and seized around 40 cannabis plants, and large quantities of cash and illegal tobacco products.

Around 12pm, police attended a second property at Glenmore Road in Park Avenue.

Detectives from Rockhampton Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) have charged two men following investigations into the trafficking and supply of dangerous drugs at two Rockhampton addresses yesterday, 16 July.

There, police allegedly located and seized quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, cannabis, and LSD, along with a large quantity of cash, drug utensils, and an antipersonnel substance, the statement read.

A 57-year-old Rockyview man was charged with three counts of possessing dangerous drugs, possessing anything used in the commission of crime, possessing property suspected of having been acquired for the purpose of committing a drug offence, and possessing tainted property.

He is due to appear before Rockhampton Magistrates Court on August 6.

Mr Farmer had an 11th fresh charge before the court during his bail application – one count of contravening order about access to electronically stored information.

Police prosecutor Claudia Neill-Ballantine said Mr Farmer had a limited criminal history, but this alleged offending was “a very significant escalation of offending, going from possessing utensils and pipes to a very significant amount of methamphetamine being 81.3 grams”.

She said the recent charge of contravene order allegedly demonstrated noncompliance with the justice system.

The court heard Mr Farmer would reside with his parents at Parkhurst if granted bail, with his mother in the back of court during the application.

He also proposed to undergo a drug rehabilitation program and wear a GPS tracker.

His lawyer, Nick Crawford, pointed to the delays in drug analyses being carried out by the State’s Forensic Science laboratory as a reason for not detaining his client in custody, saying the results were taking six to nine months in Central and North Queensland at the moment.

He said if the drugs were found to be over the limit of being dealt with in the Magistrates court jurisdiction, it would be a further six-month wait for an indictment to be presented in the higher courts.

Mr Crawford said a similar case to Mr Farmer’s – about the same alleged amount of meth and with more relevant criminal history – received a 12-month prison term served as an Intensive Correction Order (served in the community).

Magistrate Lance Rundle granted Mr Farmer bail with strict conditions.

Briefs of evidence were ordered for four drug possession charges, and all charges were adjourned to September 24.

Originally published as Harrison Samuel Farmer granted bail over 81g meth charges in Rockhampton