Janelle Maree McConnon learns fate after ice trafficking sentence

A Launceston woman has been sentenced for trafficking meth over 10 weeks, importing huge quantities of the drug from interstate.

The stress of caring for her elderly parents caused a single mum to spiral into a life of drugs, a path which ended in her importing huge quantities of methamphetamine from interstate, a court has heard.

Invermay woman Janelle Maree McConnon, 45, was sentenced in Launceston Supreme Court on Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to trafficking ice and several other summary offences, including possessing ice, cannabis, and a glass smoking pipe.

The court heard McConnon’s trafficking operation occurred between March 16, 2020 and her arrest 10 weeks later on June 1.

McConnon’s modus operandi was to import quantities of the drug, two of them significant, from interstate hidden in household goods.

On April 27, 2020, she took receipt of 199.2g of ice hidden in a DVD player.

Breaking News Breaking News Invermay ice trafficker Janelle Maree McConnon, 45. Picture: Facebook

On May 22, 3.5g inside a birthday card was delivered and on May 26 police intercepted a power tool battery charger containing 111.6g of meth secreted inside.

A police officer disguised as an Australia Post delivery person gave her the package on June 1, with police bursting in moments after to discover a gloved McConnon attempting to jimmy open the charger with a screwdriver.

The court heard police obtained banking records from this period which showed a number of transactions consistent with trafficking meth, corroborated by messages on her phone.

McConnon has been remanded in custody since her guilty plea in late-November last year.

Justice Robert Pearce told the court McConnon, who has an adult daughter, was a hard-worker with limited criminal history prior to the current matters.

He told the court McConnon was required to take care of her elderly parents from 2016 onwards, at which point an acquaintance offered her methamphetamine to help “manage stress and fatigue”.

She quickly became addicted and a “heavy user”, Justice McConnon said.

He imposed a 15-month drug treatment order, meaning she would be released from custody today.

She will appear before the Hobart Magistrates Court on February 10 as part of the order.

The court heard she would move to Brighton upon her release.