Hervy Bay bricklayer, 65, issued stern warning over meth busts

A 65-year-old drug courier has been issued a stern warning by a judge who said he should be “tired of going to jail’ by now.

A 65-year-old drug courier from Hervey Bay has been sentenced to three years’ jail.

A 65-year-old drug courier has been issued a stern warning by a judge who said he should be “tired of going to jail’ by now.

Hervey Bay bricklayer Warren Joseph Ellis appeared in Brisbane Supreme Court today after pleading guilty to two counts of possessing dangerous drugs.

The father of six was caught on October 8 last year at Tinana South with 17.3g of meth in his car, hidden below the plastic lining of the passenger seat.

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Eight days later while on bail, Ellis was seen putting 13.1g meth into his pocket before trying to walk into Acacia Ridge Hotel.

Prosecutor Vincent Wong told the court that Ellis had long history on the wrong side of the law, starting in 2002 when he was caught trafficking “wholesale amounts” of marijuana from Adelaide to Brisbane.

Defence barrister Damian Walsh said Ellis was a married man with a “severe alcohol and drug problem” whose decisions were affected by his alcoholism.

“He has taken serious steps towards rehabilitation,” Mr Walsh said.

Justice Susan Brown said as a mature man she was not going to warn Ellis of the effects of taking drugs, but stressed he was too old to continue on the same path.

“You must be tired of going to jail, Mr Ellis at this point in time,” she said.

“You know at this late stage of your life you don’t want to be doing this any more. You’ve got to stop and break the cycle.”

“I don’t know if you are a grandfather Mr Ellis, but if you are, I wonder if you would want your grandchildren starting to take methylamphetamine.”

Ellis was sentenced to three years’ jail and will be released on parole on May 20, 2020. — NewsRegional

Originally published as Hervy Bay bricklayer, 65, issued stern warning over meth busts