Mother caught drug running

[boulder]

Mother caught drug running

By BOB WATT Court Reporter

January 14, 2003

 

A mother-of-five found guilty of taking part in an attempt to smuggle nearly

300g of cannabis was sentenced yesterday to four months' jail.

 

Darwin Magistrates Court heard Maurisa Luanna Henwood tried to remove a backpack containing the cannabis when her luggage was about to be searched at a Territory airport.

 

Police found the ``football-sized pack of cannabis'' in the backpack, which Henwood tried to put into a motor vehicle.

 

Magistrate Anthony Gillies, after a hearing in December, found Henwood, 26, of Gray, guilty of possessing a traffickable quantity of cannabis (291.9g) on February 6 last year.

 

She had pleaded not guilty.

 

Prosecutor Amanda Nobbs said yesterday jail was warranted.

 

Defence lawyer Mark Hunter said Henwood had no criminal history apart from minor traffic matters. During sentencing yesterday, the magistrate said he took into account Henwood was a young mother with five children.

 

The court heard that Henwood had taken others to Jabiru to travel by air to Maningrida and had tried to bring the cannibas into an Aboriginal community.

 

When police at the airport told passengers that baggage would be searched, Henwood picked up the backpack and walked away.

 

She tried to discourage police from searching the backpack, saying it contained dirty nappies. Police found cannabis heads in the pack.

 

Mr Gillies said the supply of cannabis to Aboriginal communties must be discouraged because there _ and probably elsewhere _ it caused a lot of problems.

 

Young people on the Tiwi Island had threatened suicide when refused money for cannabis.

 

It was not unknown for people to stand over others to try to ``satisfy their lust for cannabis''.

 

He suspended two months of the sentence and ordered that she serve the other two months as home detention.

 

The court heard that Henwood had taken others to Jabiru to travel by air to Maningrida and had tried to bring the cannibas into an Aboriginal community.

 

When police at the airport told passengers that baggage would be searched, Henwood picked up the backpack and walked away.

 

She tried to discourage police from searching the backpack, saying it contained dirty nappies. Police found cannabis heads in the pack.

 

Mr Gillies said the supply of cannabis to Aboriginal communties must be discouraged because there _ and probably elsewhere _ it caused a lot of problems.

 

Young people on the Tiwi Island had threatened suicide when refused money for cannabis.

 

It was not unknown for people to stand over others to try to ``satisfy their lust for cannabis''.

 

Northern Territory News