A young Tasmanian man found with 161 boxes of vapes in his bedroom and almost $60,000 in cash under his bed has been spared time behind bars.
Oliver Lachlan Fitzgerald, 21, was sentenced in the Supreme Court on October 6 after pleading guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Justice Tamara Jago also dealt with related charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and selling tobacco without a licence.
The court heard police searched the Kingston home where Fitzgerald was living on October 10, 2025.
Officers found 161 boxes of vapes in his bedroom, along with $59,615 in loose cash and five grams of cocaine in a drawer under his bed.
Another 2.72 grams of cocaine, 10.04 grams of MDMA and a small amount of cannabis were found in the kitchen.
The prosecution accepted that $30,000 of the cash came from a car sale, but the remaining $29,615 was proceeds of crime.
The court heard Fitzgerald refused to give police his phone passcode. He admitted owning and using the drugs but denied selling them.
Justice Jago said Fitzgerald sold drugs in small amounts to people for their own use, but warned that “any dissemination of illegal drugs into our community is serious”.
The court heard Fitzgerald had an unstable upbringing and moved out of home at 17. He began using drugs socially before supplying them to friends.
Being charged was described as a turning point for Fitzgerald, who also lost a close friend in an incident in Salamanca around the same time.
“The combination of these events was pivotal and made you take stock of where your life was heading,” Justice Jago said.
Since then, Fitzgerald has quit drugs, earned two personal training qualifications and started his own business while working full-time as a removalist.
Justice Jago took into account his early guilty plea, age and prospects for rehabilitation.
“In all the circumstances, despite the severity of the offences – and it should be clearly understood by you Mr Fitzgerald that these were serious offences – I am persuaded, given your young age and strong prospects, that I should prioritise your rehabilitation,” she said.
Fitzgerald was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail, wholly suspended for two years.
The $29,615 and his digital scales were forfeited to the state.
