A 61-year-old former nurse turned drug delivery driver has received a suspended prison sentence after she was caught with methylamphetamine stashed in her car.
Kaylene Ruth Howlett pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance after she was stopped by police with 27.6 grams of the drug in May 2023.
Supreme Court Justice Robert Pearce said Howlett, on the day in question, drove from her home in Pontville to her son’s girlfriend’s home in Gagebrook around 3pm to collect the drugs.
She then concealed the two snap-lock bags containing 5g and 22.6g of methylamphetamine and left for a house in Claremont.
Justice Pearce said Howlett had been asked to deliver the drugs by her son.
He said police were aware of the planned delivery from messages on a phone they had seized from another man.
During an interview with police, Howlett admitted that she had delivered and collected drugs on other occasions and knew that her son and his girlfriend were involved in the sale of illicit drugs.
The methylamphetamine she had on May 24 was worth between $7,000 and $28,000, depending on the quantities in which it was sold.
Justice Pearce said Howlett was trafficking in methylamphetamine because she transported the drug, believing that her son had sold or intended to sell it.
In return for this and other deliveries, she was not paid but sometimes had petrol in her car or money deposited in her TAB account.
The court heard that Howlett has no prior criminal record, aside from traffic offences and is now retired after working as an enrolled nurse in the disability and aged care sectors.
Justice Pearce said that methylamphetamine in particular causes much harm and is highly damaging to the health of users, often leading to violence and dishonesty.
“Traffickers, especially those motivated by financial gain, should expect harsh punishment,” he said.
He acknowledged that Howlett’s role was limited and that she acted at the direction of her son, possibly out of “loyalty”.
“In a sense, you were taken advantage of as well. He asked you to take a risk of detection he was not prepared to take himself,” he said.
Justice Pearce sentenced Howlett to four months in prison, fully suspended for 18 months and ordered her to pay the drug analysis costs of $7,683.
