Chinchilla mother Jaimi Margaret Desiree convicted of trafficking methylamphetamine after pleading guilty in Toowoomba Supreme Court

For nearly 18 months a Chinchilla mother-of-two trafficked street levels of methylamphetamine to 21 people, but a search of her phone by police was her undoing Toowoomba Supreme Court was told.

A mother’s methylamphetamine trafficking was brought to light after her phone was seized by police during a random traffic stop, a court has been told.

Police stopped Jaimi Margaret Desiree Herbert about 10.40pm on October 29, 2020, near the entrance of a closed truck wash at Chinchilla, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told on Monday.

A search of the then 24-year-old’s vehicle uncovered a number of drug items, including digital scales, a glass pipe, 1.3g of cannabis and a mobile phone.

After providing her access PIN, police were able to download and analyse the contents of the phone, which revealed that the now 26-year-old had trafficked in methylamphetamine, and upon request cannabis, from May 13, 2019 to October 2020 to some 21 different customers.

Chinchilla woman Jaimi Margaret Desiree Herbert, 26, pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Supreme Court on July 25 to trafficking a dangerous drug between May 2019 and October 2020.

The court was told police executed a search warrant on Herbert’s Chinchilla home on November 25, 2020, which uncovered a glass pipe and clip seal bags.

In court on Monday, Herbert pleaded guilty to trafficking a dangerous drug and a number of summary offences, including possessing a dangerous drug and possessing items used in connection to a drug offence.

Crown prosecutor Emily Coley said during Herbert’s almost 18 month trafficking period she supplied predominantly street-level quantities of methylamphetamine, and on some occasions cannabis, to end users, but at times knew the quantities supplied would be sold to a third party.

The court was told the first 11 months of Herbert’s trafficking was sporadic, before increasing in intensity to 79 actual supplies and offers to supply in just shy of seven months.

Ms Coley said Herbert’s trafficking, while serious and over a prolonged period of time, was conducted to support her own drug addiction.

Chinchilla woman Jaimi Margaret Desiree Herbert, 26, pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Supreme Court on July 25 to trafficking a dangerous drug between May 2019 and October 2020.

Defence barrister Frank Martin said that since her arrest some 18 months ago she had abstained from any drug use, and the only offending had been a minor breach of bail when she had forgot to report.

A mother of a 12-month-old and a 17-day-old baby, Mr Martin said his client was committed to her rehabilitation and was remorseful for her actions.

Describing addiction as “always nipping at your heels”, Justice Elizabeth Wilson acknowledged that Herbert’s drug use, and subsequent trafficking, came from a “unique set of circumstances” including the loss of Herbert’s partner, job and traumatic loss of her pregnancy at 29 weeks.

Herbert was convicted and sentenced to three years jail, with immediate parole.