Tasmanian drug traffickers: 10 criminals who were brought to justice in 2023
Judges view drug trafficking as an especially heinous crime as it spreads the misery of addiction – yet still Tasmanians are taking the risk of getting in the game. Here’s what happens when they get caught.
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Judges view drug trafficking as an especially heinous crime as it spreads the misery of addiction – yet still Tasmanians are taking the risk of getting in the game.
Under our Misuse of Drugs Act 2001, drug traffickers are liable for imprisonment of up to 21 years, although it is exceedingly rare that a sentence would touch the maximum.
Spending actual time in custody, however, is a common outcome for traffickers.
Despite the high stakes involved and the possibility of having their freedom extinguished, the below Tasmanians took the risk and were hauled to justice in 2023.
Here’s what they did and why, and what their fates were.
TALEAH MCLAUGHLIN, 38
Devonport woman Taleah Maree McLaughlin admitted in the Burnie Supreme Court to trafficking in methamphetamine between May 1, 2021 and July 7, 2022, as well as possessing a drug utensil, meth, diazepam, and cannabis.
Search warrants were executed on July 6–7 last year, netting nearly 60g of meth, cannabis, glass smoking pipes, cash, scales, and diazepam tablets.
According to Justice Tamara Jago, when interviewed by police, McLaughlin admitted to being addicted to meth “on and off” for approximately 11 years, at times consuming a staggering amount of the drug weekly.
It was the second time she had trafficked in controlled substances, with the court hearing she was also in the game between December 9, 2017 – December 9, 2018.
Justice Jago, “with some hesitation,” sentenced her to 16 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for an operational period of three years, conditional upon McLaughlin satisfactorily performing a two-year community corrections order with 98 hours of community service.
She was also ordered to repay $49,875 of crime proceeds by way of pecuniary penalty.
RYAN PENTON, 34, AND JAVED DIXON, 29
Ryan James Penton, of Devonport, and Javed John Dixon, of National Park, were both busted near Longford with a car full of cocaine near Longford just before midnight on May 12 last year.
Police uncovered nearly 100g of cocaine worth anywhere between $21,000 and $50,000, depending on how it was sold, Launceston Supreme Court previously heard.
It emerged that Penton was assisting Dixon at the request of a third person to transport the cocaine from southern Tasmania.
The pair were to be paid $500 for their services, Justice Robert Pearce said.
Justice Pearce sentenced Penton to six months imprisonment, wholly suspended for an operational period of 18 months.
“You should understand … that offenders generally only get one chance,” Justice Pearce said.
Dixon will be sentenced on February 2 next year.
STEPHAN HRVOJEVIC, 25
Longford man Stephan Hrvojevic pleaded guilty in the Launceston Supreme Court to one count each of trafficking in a controlled substance and dealing with proceeds of crime.
The court heard that on November 12, 2021, at a roadhouse near Kempton, Hrvojevic’s vehicle was searched by police.
Officers uncovered $19,700 cash in a shopping bag – only $4700 of which was proceeds of crime, with the remainder accepted by the court as being for purchasing a motorcycle – and 86.79g of cocaine.
They also found two mobile phones, one of which contained messages that discussed cocaine sales or planned sales.
It was the second time Hrvojevic had trafficked in a controlled substance.
In February 2018, Hrvojevic was sentenced to 11 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended, and community service for trafficking “considerable quantities” of MDMA when aged 18 or 19.
Despite his history, Justice Robert Pearce gave him a third chance.
Hrvojevic was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for an operational period of two years. Hrvojevic was also ordered to perform 240 hours of community service, the maximum number of hours that can be legally imposed.
JACQUELINE FIALA, 50
Grandmother Jacqueline Pauline Fiala, from Queensland’s Gold Coast, was sentenced in August to a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment after she facilitated the largest ever attempt to traffic drugs into the state.
The court heard that between November 2019 to May 2021, Fiala had oversight of the movement of 26kg of ice from Queensland into Tasmania – with a potential street value of $26 million.
She also arranged the trafficking of up to $321,000 worth of cocaine, and up to $6480 worth of ketamine.
Justice Stephen Estcourt said Fiala answered to a man she referred to as “the boss” – and organised the trafficking of drugs in car tyres via 13 different couriers on the Spirit of Tasmania.
“It was a sophisticated operation,” he said.
“It was an operation aimed at generating very significant profits.”
Fiala, whose sentence was backdated to December 2021 when she was remanded in pre-sentence custody, will be eligible for parole after she has served half her head sentence.
She was also ordered to repay $300,000 in ill-begotten cash.
JEAN WIMMER, 39
New South Wales jeweller Jean Michele Christophe Wimmer previously pleaded not guilty to trafficking ice, cocaine and heroin into Tasmania between May 2019 – May 2021, but changed his plea to guilty earlier in December.
Despite his guilty plea, Wimmer has contested the particulars of the case, with Hobart Supreme Court to hold a disputed facts hearing next year.
Wimmer is currently in pre-sentence custody after being extradited from NSW in April 2022 following his arrest at Parramatta.
At the time of his arrest, NSW Police claimed Wimmer had been running a drug trafficking syndicate – worth nearly $5 million – from his western Sydney home.
As part of a seven-month investigation, police said they seized three Ferraris, a Lamborghini, a gold-plated Harley-Davidson, and cash.
The investigation was led by Tasmania Police’s Crime and Intelligence Command.
LUKE STAGG, 40
Launceston man Luke Nigel Stagg, who became addicted to methamphetamine during his career as a chef, consuming up to $1000 worth of the drug each day and losing the family home at Waverley in the process, was sentenced earlier in November.
Stagg pleaded guilty to trafficking in controlled substances meth, ‘liquid G’ and ‘GBL’, and several related summary offences.
Justice Robert Pearce sentenced Stagg to nine months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for an operational period of two years, conditional upon the defendant entering into an 18-month community correction order.
Stagg was also ordered to perform 140 hours’ community service.
The court heard Stagg’s offending involved assisting a former school friend, Shanelle Renee Delaney, 39, conduct her polysubstance trafficking operation between the dates of October 13–21, 2020.
He performed various tasks for Delaney: selling meth on her behalf, collecting parcels of liquid G, and helping to facilitate the importation of an ounce of meth into Tasmania at a cost of $11,000.
Delaney was sentenced last year to a drug treatment order with a 20-month custodial component should she fail to adhere to its stringent conditions.
MARK ROLAND, 55
Devonport tattoo artist Mark Raymond Roland was jailed earlier this month for two years, backdated to June of this year, when a jury found him guilty of trafficking in a controlled substance.
A search of his residence on July 2, 2020, uncovered various quantities of cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, bath salts and ‘liquid G’.
Burnie Supreme Court Justice Tamara Jago told the court Roland’s property was heavily fortified with cameras and other security measures, which she believed was a measure to protect the drugs that were in his possession.
Justice Jago told Roland he had very little insight into the “seriousness of his offending”.
“You continue to maintain that the illicit substances found at your residence did not belong to you,” she said.
“You have displayed no remorse, you have not accepted responsibility, and you have demonstrated no insight into the grave consequences of your criminal conduct.”
Roland will be eligible for parole after serving half his head sentence.
MATHEW COATES, 35
South Launceston man Mathew Leigh Coates, a father of one, was jailed earlier in December for 15 months, backdated to September 21, when he was remanded in pre-sentence custody.
Coates pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance, methamphetamine, between September 12–15, 2022.
He also admitted to possessing stolen property, possessing a firearm without a licence, possessing ammunition without a licence, possessing a controlled drug, using a controlled drug and possessing a smoking device.
Launceston Supreme Court Justice Robert Pearce told the court that a search of the residence Coates shared with his partner uncovered $12,000 cash, a loaded .22 calibre pistol, a stolen motorcycle, 36.5g of meth, a cryovac machine, and other paraphernalia.
Coates told officers he had made $7000 in the three days he had been in business.
Justice Pearce told the court Coates had a long history of drug addiction, with three prior convictions for selling a controlled drug, and numerous other convictions for possessing and using controlled drugs or plants.
Coates also had a lengthy history of dishonesty and driving offences.
Since 2020, he had spent several periods in jail, Justice Pearce told the court.
Coates will be eligible for parole after serving eight months of his head sentence.
ROBERT WILLIAMS, 38
Launceston man Robert Craig Williams was sentenced in the Launceston Supreme Court in December to 18 months’ imprisonment for attempting to smuggle 54.2g of methamphetamine to Tasmania from Melbourne via the Spirit of Tasmania on October 9 last year
Williams had the package secreted in his underwear, Justice Robert Pearce told the court.
Analysis of his phone records revealed an intention to sell the drug.
The court heard Williams had been subject to a two-decade “cycle of drug use and crime” that had seen him spend long periods of his adult life behind bars.
Justice Pearce made a portion of the defendant’s custodial sentence cumulative on a previous sentence imposed on February 8 last year for trafficking in meth.
Between the two trafficking offences, Williams was handed a three-year head sentence, backdated to June 27 last year, with parole eligibility after serving 30 months.
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