A man caught attempting to smuggle methamphetamine on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry in his underwear will spend the next few years behind bars.
Robert Craig Williams was found to be packing 54.2 grams of crystal meth in his underwear, estimated to be worth upwards of $50,000, during a police search in October 2022.
Supreme Court Justice Robert Pearce said Williams had flown to Melbourne the day before boarding the ship, with text messages on his phone revealing he intended to “sell the drug” upon his return to Tasmania.
Williams had previously received a prison sentence for a drug trafficking offence he committed in 2020, during which Justice Pearce had placed him under a treatment order that lasted “about nine months”.
“Despite my warning, this crime was committed while you were subject to the drug treatment order,” Justice Pearce said in his comments on the sentence.
“You did some beneficial things while on the order. You ceased use of cannabis. You remained in contact with your case worker and attended counselling at the alcohol and drug service. You complied with the suboxone program and completed the EQUIPS addiction program.”
“However you began to commit other offences almost immediately. Some of those offences were not related to drugs, but some were. On 22 March 2023 the drug treatment order was cancelled by a magistrate for a range of reasons, not just the re-offending but for other non-compliance.”
In place of the order and the new offences, Williams was sentenced to a total term of two years in prison from 27 June 2022.
“It is in your favour that you pleaded guilty. However given your repeated offending over many years you have little claim to any remorse. The evils of trafficking in methylamphetamine have been explained many times,” Justice Pearce said.
“The drug is a scourge on society and those who seek to profit from its sale must expect to be punished.”
Williams was convicted, ordered to pay $1,309 for the drug analysis costs and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
“Because of the absence of a parole order in respect to the earlier sentence, I order that six months of that term be served concurrently with the sentences you are currently liable to serve.”
“I order that you not be eligible for parole until you have served 12 months of that term. The effect of that is that you will, taking into account the sentences already in place, be liable to serve a total term of three years from 27 June 2022 and that you will be eligible for parole after having served a total term of two years and six months from that date.
