Falmouth man caught with $290k worth of cannabis fronts Launceston court

A 58-year-old who uncovered a cannabis crop while surfing on the East-Coast and helped himself to $290k worth of the drug has avoided jail. What the court heard.

The 58-year-old Falmouth man claimed he found a cannabis crop while surfing in a remote area on the coast and helped himself, netting a total of just under 14 kilograms of the drug. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

An East-Coast surfer who hid $290,000 worth of stolen cannabis in a caravan has avoided jail time.

Shane Michael Hodge appeared at the Launceston Supreme Court and pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance between April 1 and August 18, 2023.

The 58-year-old Falmouth man claimed he found a cannabis crop while surfing in a remote area on the coast and helped himself, netting a total of just under 14 kilograms of the drug.

The court heard Hodge stole the cannabis from various locations at various times and in differing quantities so that the owners would not notice.

Hodge dried the cannabis in the bush under polycarbonate translucent roofing sheets and packaged it tightly compressed into reusable shopping bags pressed into rectangular shapes.

The court heard Hodge had volunteered that he had some cannabis at another address to police when they attended Hodge’s home to talk about an unrelated matter.

After issuing a search warrant, police found a total of 10 packages of 1.4 kilograms of cannabis in a caravan owned by Hodge on a friend’s property not far away.

Justice Robert Pearce said “the meticulous manner” in which Hodge packaged and concealed the cannabis was consistent with an intention to harvest, process, and sell the cannabis for profit.

“However … there is no evidence before me of any actual sale of any further involvement in the commercial production or sale of cannabis,” Justice Pearce said.

“You had no real idea about how to realise its value or how to go about selling it.

“There is no sign of wealth arising from the sale of cannabis, and you still have the debts which prompted the initial plan.”

Justice Pearce convicted Hodge and sentenced him to 15 months imprisonment, wholly suspended for two years.

“Prior to your eventual disclosure, there was a plan to sell and a realistic chance that a large quantity of the drug would somehow find its way into the market,” Justice Pearce said.

“I think, based on what I have been told, that you are unlikely to reoffend, but the sentence I am about to impose is aimed at providing a strong disincentive to future criminal conduct.”