Trent Bruce Richter pleads guilty in Toowoomba District Court to supplying, possessing dangerous drugs

A 22-year-old has faced court after the raid uncovered a significant quantity of cannabis, and what police found on his phone led to only more charges.

While a search warrant was targeting his housemate, police stumbled upon almost 2kg of cannabis hidden in a Toowoomba man’s wardrobe, a court has been told.

Trent Bruce Richter faced Toowoomba District Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to 20 counts of supplying a dangerous drug, possessing a dangerous drug in excess of 500g, possessing a dangerous drug and possessing property suspected of being used in commission of a drug offence.

The court was told that on May 7, 2021, police executed a search warrant at a Toowoomba address, with the 22-year-old’s housemate the target of the search.

Trent Bruce Richter, 22, faced Toowoomba District Court on June 13, 2022 where he pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous drug and 20 charges of supplying a dangerous drug.

However, Crown prosecutor Emily Coley said a search of a bedroom that Richter occupied found some 1.79kg of cannabis, packaged in four vacuum sealed bags each weighing about a pound.

Police also found a small quantity of methylamphetamine, and other drug items.

Ms Coley said while Richter made admissions to police at the scene that the methylamphetamine was his, he had no knowledge of the cannabis.

The court was told as a result police seized Richter’s phone, with investigations revealing he was involved supplying cannabis to six people over a two month period from March to May that year.

Investigations revealed that on nine occasions Richter supplied street-level quantities of cannabis, ranging between 3g and up to an ounce.

The court was told Richter made further offers of supplying cannabis at street level quantities, with messages revealing he once offered to supply a quarter of a pound for $1200, and half pound for $2300.

Trent Bruce Richter, 22, faced Toowoomba District Court on June 13, 2022 where he pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous drug and 20 charges of supplying a dangerous drug.

Ms Coley submitted that while Richter was a drug user, and a portion of the drug was for his own use, a majority was for a commercial purpose.

Richter’s barrister Jessica Goldie said her client was still a young man, and while there was a prior criminal history for minor drug offences he had not previously received adequate community-based orders to address his drug use.

Ms Goldie said Richter was undergoing counselling to get off the drugs and had moved to Stanthorpe to get away from Toowoomba and the temptation of drugs.

Judge Michael Byrne QC said it was Richter’s “own silly conduct” that placed him in jeopardy of being sent to jail for drug offences.

“The reality is you were conducting a commercial operation,” he said.

Judge Byrne noted that Richter had completed workplace training and that he had good prospects of moving on and rehabilitating.

Richter was sentenced to two years probation, with convictions recorded.