A dealer who was caught with close to 200 grams of methylamphetamine worth up to $170,000 after being stopped while riding his motorcycle has been sentenced to almost three years in jail.
Huon Gendall, 32, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of Tasmania to trafficking in a controlled substance and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The court heard that Gendall was stopped by police in the Huon Valley on June 25, 2023, after his manner of riding “drew the attention” of a number of officers.
Police saw him trying to throw away his phone, which they later seized, along with a backpack containing $1,145 in cash and 59 individual snaplock bags filled with methylamphetamine totalling 170.3 grams.
A subsequent search of his home found digital scales with traces of the illicit drug, electronic scales, spare snaplock bags, a metal spoon and three more bags containing the drug, weighing a total of 8.48 grams.
The court heard that Gendall’s life had been “substantially affected” by illicit drug use since his early 20s and that he had been convicted of possession offences since 2014.
In 2018, he was given a six-month suspended sentence for drug-related charges, including selling and possessing controlled substances and driving with a controlled drug in his blood.
Despite this, Gendall continued to offend and in 2019 was sentenced for trafficking methylamphetamine and other drugs.
He was given a drug treatment order with a two-year parole period, but breached the conditions and served 11 months of a two-year sentence.
Justice Robert Pearce said the current crime was committed within nine months of his release and that he had returned to drug use.
He noted that some of the methylamphetamine found in his possession was for his own use, but the rest was intended for sale.
“You say it was to fund your own addiction,” he said.
“Nevertheless, the individual bags found in your possession indicate that you intended a considerable number of sales in a substantial total quantity and of considerable value.”
Justice Pearce said Gendall’s offending was “not isolated or out of character” and that he was on bail for other offences at the time.
He said that even though his guilty plea was in his favour, it was “a recognition of the inevitable”.
“It is an aggravating factor that you were on bail for other offences at the time, although those offences are yet to be dealt with,” he said.
“You express a wish to, with the assistance of your new partner, make fresh attempts to overcome your addiction and remove yourself from your drug and criminal associates.”
“All prospect of rehabilitation is not lost.”
Justice Pearce sentenced Gendall to two years and nine months in prison, with a non-parole period of one year and four and a half months.
He ordered the forfeiture of various items seized by police, including the drugs, scales and cash, to the state.
