A FORMER Mount Gambier man caught with almost nine grams of pure methamphetamine on two separate occasions has been jailed for two years.
Thomas Jerome Oak, 35, appeared in Adelaide District Count on two counts of trafficking in a controlled drug.
The court heard Oak was approached by police in May 2017 shortly after disembarking from a ferry from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island.
Police told the defendant they wanted to search his backpack and Oak removed a sunglasses case and placed it behind the seat while submitting to the search.
After seeing Oak conceal an item, police then searched the vehicle and recovered the case, finding a glass pipe and three bags containing ice.
In total, the crystals weighed 13.42g and contained approximately 6g of pure methamphetamine.
In August 2017, Oak was again stopped by police after disembarking from a ferry and asked whether there was anything of note in his possession.
He admitted to police he was carrying two “eight-balls” of ice, and presented three bags of methamphetamine totalling 5.8g of substance that included 2.9g of pure methamphetamine.
On both occasions, Oak denied any intention to sell the ice, saying the drugs were for his personal use.
However, following Oak’s arrests police seized his mobile phone, which revealed text messages appearing to discuss arrangements in relation to drug transactions.
The defence said Oak started using an older type of methamphetamine on a recreational basis during his early 20s, but started using it again to keep up with his immense workload stemming from his mechanical repair business.
Counsel for the defence said Oak had been prescribed medication for a mental health issue that caused him to become lethargic and ultimately sought alternative medication in the form of ice.
Judge Geraldine Davison said while the price of ice in Kangaroo Island was approximately double that of Adelaide, she accepted Oak was travelling to the city to purchase the drug in bulk for his own personal use and also to distribute to friends at Adelaide prices.
She said while it was agreed Oak did not derive any profit from the offending, she told him “it must have subsidised your own use of the drugs”.
In sentencing, Judge Davidson labelled the offending as “very serious”, saying Oak’s conduct had negative impacts on both his life and of those to whom he was dealing drugs.
She took his early guilty pleas into consideration when imposing a 30pc reduction in penalty.
Oak was sentenced to three years, 11 months and two weeks imprisonment for both offences with a two year non-parole period.
Judge Davison said she was unable to find good reason to suspend the sentence given Oak’s history of drug-related offending and the fact the offences were committed while the defendant was on bail.
