A 63-year-old former truck driver has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, after taking over 3.8kg of cannabis on a trafficking road trip.
Gary Charles Robinson, a former truck driver, appeared in the Northern Territory Supreme Court for sentencing earlier this week. Robinson pled guilty to charges of supplying cannabis in a commercial quality, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.
According to court documents, Robinson was attempting to transport 3.87kg of cannabis from South Australia into Alice Springs. In total, the trip would have been over 570km, starting in Port Neill. However, Robinson was only forty kilometres short of his destination when police pulled him over on Stuart Highway on February 22nd this year.
While investigating his vehicle, a drug sniffer dog discovered 10 cryovac packages full of dried cannabis. The packages were concealed inside two spare car tyres, attached to a trailer Robinson had borrowed. Police also seized loose cannabis, a stem of cannabis, a phone, and portable scales from the vehicle. Robinson was promptly arrested and taken to Alice Springs where he awaited trial behind bars.
The value of Robinson’s cannabis haul is around $43,500. However, Robinson was not the original owner of this cannabis as he was only paid to traffic the drug.
Police also seized Robinsons 1995 Landcruiser, but this will be returned to Robinson after his prison sentence is served, with Justice Barr noting it would be “more burdensome than beneficial” to the government. Ouch.
Originally, Justice Barr sentenced Robinson to four years imprisonment. However, the sentenced was reduced to account for Robinsons age and guilty plea. Robinson’s sentence will be suspended after 12 months with probation. Handing down the sentence, Justice Barr had this to say:
You would be very foolish if you were to involve yourself in the supply of cannabis again.
