A Tasmanian man who sold methylamphetamine to fund his own drug habit has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence.
Joseph Rooks, 32, recently appeared in the Supreme Court on charges related to drug possession, use and selling.
The court heard that police found three zip lock bags containing a total of 0.09 grams of methylamphetamine and $1,775 in cash during a raid of Rooks’ home in August 2023.
Officers also uncovered empty zip lock bags, digital scales with weights, an ice pipe, a metal spoon and three mobile phones.
Further investigations uncovered text messages on one of the phones indicating drug sales between March and August of that year.
Justice Robert Pearce said Rooks told police he was purchasing about five grams of the drug for $2,000 each fortnight and selling about 0.3 grams each week.
Pearce said Rooks claimed it was addiction and not the desire for profit which motivated the sales.
“According to your counsel you were using almost a gram per day,” Pearce said.
“I do not see how the level of the use you claim could possibly have been funded from the very few number of sales you admitted to the police.”
“Reference was made to some savings you may have had but I regard that claim with scepticism.’
Rooks was sentenced to a suspended term of seven months imprisonment, ordered to forfeit his drug money and pay $837 in drug analysis costs.
