A man who was caught trying to courier more than one kilogram of methylamphetamine hidden in his ute so he could clear a $15,000 drug debt has been sentenced to eight years in a West Australian prison.
Police stopped Luke Ryan Witt in Bunbury, in the state's South West region, in August last year and discovered he had meth and a small amount of cocaine concealed in a hollowed out rechargeable drill battery, the WA District Court heard on Monday.
A search of the undercarriage revealed a custom-made, metal cabinet near the spare tyre that had a package containing 994 grams of methylamphetamine at 81 per cent purity.
Judge Simon Stone said Witt, 28, was a courier for a "sophisticated drug syndicate", possibly linked to bikies.
"Very elaborate and sophisticated steps have been taken by those behind this drug run to provide equipment in which to get the drugs from Perth to Bunbury," he said.
"It shows a level of planning, deliberation and persistence went into this."
Judge Stone noted the father of one committed the offence of possessing a trafficable quantity of meth with intent to sell or supply while he was on bail for similar offending.
"The risk of re-offence by you in a similar fashion is high unless you address the issues that underlie your offending behaviour and these have been identified as antisocial attitudes, negative peer associations, illicit substance abuse, and the lack of positive community involvement," he said.
Judge Stone also acknowledged that methylamphetamine caused a significant amount of "misery" in the community.
"Almost every case that we deal with now in the District Court is methylamphetamine-related in one way or another," he said.
"It's rare to come across a case where meth has not had an impact."
Witt, who pleaded guilty, must serve at least six years behind bars before he can be eligible for parole.
Australian Associated Press
