Big drug stash led to long jail term

Two Warwick men have been jailed after police raided their homes and seized large amounts of illicit drugs. See how they were caught. 

Two Warwick men caught with large amounts of illicit drugs have received jail terms after pleading guilty before the Toowoomba Supreme Court.

Luke James Weier, 32, appeared in custody while his co-offender and flatmate of the time, Luke Raymond Hain, 28, fronted the court on bail with a large number of family and supporters in the court gallery supporting him.

Crown prosecutor Shontelle Petrie told the court the pair had been in a car pulled over by police in Stanthorpe on May 29, 2020.

Weier handed over a handgun he had on him and a police search of the vehicle turned up 2oz (56.6g) of meth and 3oz (85g) of ecstasy (MDMA) as well as lesser amounts of cocaine and hallucinogenic drugs, she said.

Another 10.49g of meth was found in a bag in the centre console and Weier had $1231 on him which police suspected was proceeds of drug sales, Ms Petrie said.

A subsequent search of the Warwick unit the pair shared turned up 1.113g of meth and 86 films of buprenorphine, she said.

Hain pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs in amounts above 2g and to possessing dangerous drugs, while Weier pleaded guilty to 18 offences including possessing dangerous drugs above the 2g schedule, supplying dangerous drugs, possessing a weapon, and other drug offences.

Ms Petrie said police had suspected Weier was supplying drugs in large amounts and in February 2021 he was found with 7.78g of pure meth along with more than $14,000 in cash and tick sheets and drug utensils.

This was Weier’s fourth time before the Supreme Court while Hain had no criminal history at the time of the police intercept at Stanthorpe, she said.

Weier’s barrister Scott Lynch said, by his calculations, in the past 92 months, his client had spent 81 months in custody.

Weier had spent 718 days in pre-sentence custody and whatever his sentence he would have to prove to the parole authorities that he was no longer a risk to the community in order to get parole, he said.

Barrister David Jones, for Hain, told the court his client had turned to meth after the breakdown of his marriage in 2017 and not being able to see his daughter.

Hain had since turned his life around and was back to being the person he was before using drugs, was working and was a builder by trade, he said.

However, Justice Martin Burns said Hain would have to spend some time in jail as the offending was just so serious.

Hain was sentenced to three years in jail to be released on parole on March 1, 2023.

Weier was sentenced to six years in jail with 718 days pre-sentence custody declared as time served and ordered to be eligible to apply for parole immediately.