Mathew James Marjapuu blamed Covid-19 for turning him into a drug dealer

With his business failing, the 51-year-old said he turned to trafficking cannabis to support his own habit.

Mathew James Marjapuu blamed the pandemic for turning him into a drug dealer.

WHEN the pandemic struck causing a downturn in Mathew James Marjapuu’s online business, he turned to dealing cannabis on the streets of Oakey to supplement his own habit.

His “business” came to light after police raided the then 51-year-old’s Oakey home on November 26, 2020, and found 29g of cannabis, a mobile phone used for trafficking cannabis, other drug related items, and $14,000 cash, Toowoomba District Court heard.

Crown prosecutor Erin Kelly said Marjapuu told police the cash was his nest egg and that cash was not part of any charge in the District Court but subject to Magistrates Court procedures.

An examination of his phone found Marjapuu trafficked cannabis between March 3, 2020, and November 26, 2020, she said.

Marjapuu dealt at street level and sold cannabis at between $20 for a 1.5g bag up to $100 a sale.

Investigations found he had been working with a woman who was also trafficking the drug and the pair would pool their resources to buy larger amounts of cannabis which they then onsold, she said.

Ms Kelly said Marjapuu’s operation was “not particularly sophisticated” and he had made admissions to police after his arrest.

Marjapuu pleaded guilty to trafficking and possessing cannabis and possessing drug related utensils.

His barrister Jessica Goldie told the court the woman associate of Marjapuu was more involved in the operation and had more criminal history and she had been sentenced to three years parole.

Marjapuu had dealt in the drug to support his own cannabis habit and for pain after he contracted myalgia, she said.

In the 16 months since his arrest he had been clean of the drug and had not reoffended, Ms Goldie said.

Judge Ian Dearden sentenced Marjapuu to two years in jail but ordered he be released on parole immediately.