A drug dealer who ran a trafficking business while unemployed and on Centrelink benefits has avoided prison, instead being sentenced to home detention.
Julian Matthew Tucceri, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking a controlled substance and one count of dealing with proceeds of crime.
The Supreme Court heard Tucceri ran a drug business between July 2019 and January 2023, buying and selling cocaine and methylamphetamine for profit.
Police put his home under covert surveillance and searched it on July 6, 2021, after stopping a car whose driver said he had bought cocaine from Tucceri for $300.
Inside, police found 12.6 grams of cocaine, 9.8 grams of methylamphetamine and a small amount of MDMA across 16 snap lock bags, along with scales.
They also found $1,610 in his wallet and $26,350 hidden in a shopping bag in the lounge.
A shortened Winchester shotgun was found with the cash, though Tucceri faced no charge over the firearm.
Justice Kate Cuthbertson said its presence highlighted the serious nature of his trafficking business.
Tucceri had received a disability support pension since he was 17 and had never worked.
But $118,137 in transfers and cash deposits went through his bank account during the charge period.
Justice Cuthbertson accepted some transactions were legitimate but said considerable sums were passing through at a time he was unemployed and on Centrelink benefits.
She said none of the deposits she referred to related to his Centrelink payments.
One person deposited more than $16,000, while his ex-partner, who he referred to in messages as “doing runs” for him, put in $10,700.
Justice Cuthbertson said the evidence suggests Tucceri kept offending after the search and while on bail.
“You continued to engage in that business for another two years,” she said.
The court heard Tucceri had a history of childhood trauma and long-standing mental health concerns.
Justice Cuthbertson was satisfied he made well over $100,000.
Tucceri was sentenced to home detention for 15 months, with strict conditions including electronic monitoring and a curfew.
The court ordered $27,960 in cash be forfeited to the state as proceeds of crime.
Justice Cuthbertson warned that if he breached the order, he could be jailed.
