Nathan Ross O’Connor trafficked cannabis for 12 months for little gain but an appearance in court

A teenager has been nabbed for trafficking cannabis over a year, but by the time he was caught by police his profits had gone up in smoke.

A 20-year-old Toowoomba man who confessed to trafficking cannabis as a teenager over a 12-month period had nothing to show for it by the time police put a stop to it.

Nathan Ross O’Connor’s cannabis operation was not a “particularly profitable” venture, Toowoomba District Court heard.

O’Connor was found with a total 782g of cannabis and drug utensils such as clip seal bags, digital scales, a grinder and water pipe during a police search of his home on April 14, 2022.

However, it was the messages on his mobile phone that police were more than a little interested in, the court heard.

Analysis of the phone found a series of drug related messages and O’Connor initially told police he had been supplying cannabis to others for about one to two weeks and later that he had been dealing for about a month, prosecutor Peter Blake-Segovia told the court.

Toowoomba Courthouse and police station.

However, further analysis showed the then 18/19-year-old had been supplying cannabis for about one year which included 84 supplies of cannabis of which 37 were actual supplies while the rest were offers to supply or acts preparatory to supply, he said.

Judge Dennis Lynch KC noted that would equate to about one supply every 10 days or, on average, about three per month.

Mr Blake-Segovia said O’Connor was supplying cannabis in street level amounts to about 18 customers.

The operation was not a particularly profitable one, he said.

O’Connor pleaded guilty to trafficking cannabis, four counts of supplying the drug, possessing cannabis above the 500g schedule, possessing drug utensils and possessing an inoperable air-rifle (Category A weapon) found during the police search of his house.

His barrister Nathan Edridge told the court his client had been mixing with drug users at the time and had dealt in the drug to pay for his own cannabis.

O’Connor has since started a painting apprenticeship and had taken up with a girlfriend who did not use drugs and was a hard worker, he said.

Judge Dennis Lynch KC

Judge Lynch sentenced O’Connor to 18 months in jail but ordered the whole term be suspended for 18 months.

“That means you walk out of here (court) today and you can continue the good steps you have taken to get past all of this, to get on with your life and to be a decent, useful member of the community,” Judge Lynch told him.

“That’s what everyone wants to see happen.

“You’ve taken the right steps, you’re heading in the right direction but you’ve got to keep doing it.”

Picture: iStock