Tristan Charles Bradley convicted in Toowoomba Supreme Court of trafficking methylamphetamine

A drug dealer with an ice habit continued to supply drug after he was charged with trafficking in an offence that ‘smacks of the nature of addiction’.

A judge has described a man’s methylamphetamine trafficking as “persistent”, selling the drug for eight months, including while on bail and probation, to support his own ice habit.

Tristan Charles Bradley appeared in Toowoomba Supreme Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to a raft of drug charges, including trafficking methylamphetamine and three charges of supplying the same drug.

The court was told the 30 year old was a street level supplier, selling quantities of around 0.1g to 0.5g, with Crown prosecutor Ellen Fletcher describing Bradley’s modus operandi as buying up to 1g of ice and packaging it into smaller quantities to sell to recoup the cost of his own drug addiction.

Ms Fletcher said search warrants on his St George home uncovered his drug dealing and addiction.

“He was arrested on December 9 which was the end of the trafficking period, and he provided information to the police that they wouldn’t have otherwise known,” she said.

The court was told that after his arrest Bradley made three more drug supplies in actions that Ms Fletcher said “smacks of the nature of addiction to the drug”.

Bradley’s barrister Frank Martin said his client’s actions were indicative of someone addicted to ice but submitted he had completed two full drug rehabilitation courses and was halfway through a third.

Justice Peter Callaghan described Bradley’s offending as “persistent” but hoped that he would stick to his rehabilitation program to overcome his addiction.

Bradley was convicted and sentenced to 18 months behind bars, with immediate parole.