Name and shame: Tasmania’s convicted drug dealers of 2021

A dealer nicknamed “Ron” who hid ice in his undies, a Kingston bloke who stashed drugs in the catcher of his lawnmower and a man who sold drugs to pay off his debt to protect his lover: It’s been an eventful year for convicted drug traffickers in Tasmania. SEE THEIR NAMES + SENTENCES >>

• $4M of drugs off Tassie streets as Qld syndicate busted
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Tasmania’s convicted drug dealers of 2021 have stashed their drugs everywhere from their underpants to their lawnmower.

And they’ve been compelled by a range of motivations – including helping out cancer patients to protecting a pregnant girlfriend.

One thing this year’s group of traffickers haven’t been is boring.

Here are some of the Tasmanian drug trafficking cases that have finalised during 2021.

Weed was used for cancer patients and “men’s shed” friends

Thomas Ezekiel Ricketts claimed the cannabis oil police found stashed in his home was “a medical tincture made to a recipe for cancer patients”.

The 47-year-old Hobart resident was busted with two buckets of cannabis in his hallway, five bottles of cannabis oil in his kitchen and 17 bottles of the substance in his sister’s shed.

In total, police seized 1.075 litres of cannabis oil.

Police said the oil would have a total street value of $57,750, but Ricketts denied this was true as it had been diluted, arguing it was only worth about $50 a bottle.

Picture: Istock

“He said it was a medicinal tincture made to a recipe for cancer patients,” Acting Justice David Porter said in May while sentencing.

“He admitted ownership of the oil found in the shed, again saying it was a tincture which he gave to friends who were sick in order to help them. He said he had a couple of friends who were suffering from cancer and sleep disorders.

“He said that he did not offer it for sale but gave it to people who were sick.”

Ricketts admitted growing the cannabis plant material found in his hallway, saying “it was cheaper than buying it”, but denied receiving any payment for it.

“I was told that the defendant is part of a small group of men who socialise. They would meet on a residential block of land owned by the defendant in what was effectively a ‘Men’s Shed’ type arrangement. Some would drink alcohol, some would smoke cannabis,” Acting Justice Porter said.

Ricketts, who pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in a controlled substance and one count of cultivating a controlled plant for sale, was sentenced to a fully-suspended one-year jail sentence.

Afraid for girlfriend’s safety as drug debt loomed

By the end of 2017, Joshua John Atkinson had a large drug debt hanging over his head.

He’d given up drugs after a long history as a user. But with a pregnant girlfriend, Atkinson became worried about the safety of his loved ones.

His solution to paying off the drug debt – and keeping the sharks at bay? Selling drugs.

When police raided his Newstead home in November 2019, they discovered commercial quantities of drugs, with $6750 of cannabis, $13,680 of crystal methylamphetamine, and $8910 in MDMA or ecstasy.

They also uncovered $31,085 in cash as proceeds from selling drugs, as well as drug-related equipment and an array of ammunition.

SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGE DISCUSS USE WITH YOUR EDITOR - A quantity of ice with a street value of about $6000-$7000, seized in a major Gympie region search operation.

“None of the drugs found by the police were intended for Mr Atkinson’s personal use. He planned to sell everything that he had,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Alan Blow said while sentencing in February.

“He made no money from the trafficking for which I have to sentence him. He intended to sell drugs only until the debt was paid.”

The 33-year-old dad pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking in controlled substances, dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime and possessing ammunition when not the holder of the appropriate firearm licence.

The $31,085 was seized by the state of Tasmania.

Atkinson is currently serving a 12-month home detention order.

Dealer hid ice in his lawnmower

Out of all the places to stash your drugs, a lawnmower catcher is certainly a creative option.

When police sprung Aaron McShane in the corner of a Kingston backyard, he was holding a “white fabric item” that he appeared to be destroying – or at least concealing.

As police advanced towards him, McShane moved away.

While he was being placed under arrest and police were attempting to handcuff him, McShane dropped a snap-lock bag full of the drug ice – and 50 bucks in cash.

Police searched his backyard and found 10 bags of ice hidden inside a lawnmower catcher.

In total, authorities located a huge 273.3g of crystal methylamphetamine – which if sold in points would have attracted a street value of $280,100.

McShane pleaded trafficking in a controlled substance, namely methylamphetamine, and spent 84 days in custody.

In April, Supreme Court judge Gregory Geason sentenced him to a 12-month home detention order with electronic monitoring, a two-year community correction order with 90 hours of community work, and ordered to pay drug analysis fees of $1969.

Mega haul of party drugs stashed in the car

Hobart man Jacob Anthony Burdon is currently behind bars after police raids of his car and home uncovered enough MDA and MDMA to make almost 2000 ecstasy tablets.

While sentencing in February, Justice Michael Brett said the police searches in March 2018 uncovered 398.8g of MDMA and 55g of MDA, which the judge said equated to 1815 ecstasy tablets with a street value between $72,000 and $90,750.

Drugs and cash, cocaine generic.

Burdon, 30, pleaded guilty to trafficking a controlled drug as well as minor offences in using cannabis and cocaine.

He conceded he was transporting and concealing the drugs for the purpose of selling them, but also said a significant amount was intended for his own use.

Burdon was jailed for 18 months, dated back to December last year, with a nine-month non-parole period, and ordered to pay the $6090 cost of drug analysis.

Read more here.

Ice courier mum posted up to $60K of drugs into Tassie

Christine Joy Radford, 40, has turned her life around since discovering she was pregnant in mid-2018.

But before that, the effects of a “very difficult life” had led to a raft of criminal offending.

In June 2016, the Devonport woman was paid to make a trip from Launceston to Melbourne – and while she was interstate, posted two packages containing methylamphetamine to an address in Chigwell.

While sentencing in February, Supreme Court acting judge Shane Marshall said the drugs had a value between $20,000 to $60,000, depending on how they were sold.

The same month, Australian Border Force officials at Melbourne Airport intercepted a package from Singapore addressed to Radford containing 77 ice pipes.

She pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance, namely methylamphetamine, and was given a two-year jail term – suspended on the condition she not commit an offence punishable by imprisonment for two years.

Read more here.

Smoking drugs.

Dealer with the nickname “Ron” had ice in his underpants

Burnie dad Nigel John Griggs is a 60 year-old man who has found himself in jail after setting up a business selling everything from morphine to heroin across the northwest coast.

In 2018, Tasmania Police commenced “Operation Austin” in a bid to sting him, tapping his phone to prove he’d been selling an array of drugs – which also included ice, cannabis and ecstasy – over the course of several months in 2018.

His nickname – Ron – and his mobile phone number was found in the contacts lists of a number of people found in possession of drugs at that time.

In April 2018, police raided his Hillcrest home, finding digital scales, an ice pipe, a syringe, cannabis, a bong – and a tick sheet detailing amounts totalling more than $19,000.

The following month, his car was intercepted and police found 3.44g of ice in his underwear, $550 in his pocket and a packet of codeine-based painkillers.

The Crown said the value of drugs Griggs possessed fell between $13,700 and $14,750.

While sentencing in March, Supreme Court judge Gregory Geason said while Griggs had offended over a short period of time, he had a list of priors for drug-related offences dating back as far as 1980.

Griggs, who pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance, was jailed for two years, with a non-parole period of 14 months.