Drug Lord 'wholesaler' Gets 18 Months For Bringing Up To &#036

[grace]

A DRUG lord forked out up to $8.5 million to Melbourne criminals for cannabis sativa which flooded Brisbane's northern outskirts over a five-year period, a court heard today.

 

Prosecutor Petrina Clohessy told the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Terry Peter Barry was a "wholesaler" and one of a group who bought huge amounts cannabis sativa from Melbourne and later South Australia, for sale in Queensland.

 

While they bought from the same source and organised to have the drugs kept in storage facilities in Brisbane, the group - usually three men - ran separate drug business ventures.

 

Ms Clohessy said a joint Queensland and Victorian police operation smashed the drug ring after couriers were intercepted with large amounts of cannabis sativa and cash.

 

Barry, 38, of Glasshouse Mountain, pleaded guilty to traffficking in cannabis sativa between October 31, 2003 and January 1, last year.

 

Ms Clohessy said Barry's business grew from one "pound" of cannbis sativa a week to him buying 60-70 "pounds" about every three weeks.

 

She said police were able to calculate the scale of Barry's business only from his admissions.

 

It was calculated that over the period of offending Barry paid between $5million and $8.5million to buy up to 1954 pounds of cannabis sativa.

 

Ms Clohessy said that equated to from 888 kgs to 1,232kgs of cannabis sativa.

 

Barry's profit from the business was calculated at $586,200 to $1,088,00, she added.

 

Barrister Adrian Donaldson, for Barry, said the estimates of his client's profits were not borne out by the assets which had been confiscated from Barry.

 

He told the court Barry had stopped his trade four months before he was arrested and Barry's wife was now very ill.

 

Mr Donaldson said Barry had a long standing drug problem which he had addressed and Barry had found full-time work.

 

Justice Glen Martin said he accepted the figures quoted by the prosecutor were based on estimates which themselves were based on estimates.

 

"But it does give a useful example of the size of the operation," he added.

 

Justice Martin indicated there were some other highly unusual aspects to the case which meant he would reduce the sentence.

 

He jailed Barry for five years to be suspended after he served 18 months for an operational period of five years.

 

Author: Mark Oberhardt

Date: 15 September 2010

Source: Courier Mail

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/drug-lord-wholesaler-gets-18-months-for-bringing-up-to-85-million-worth-of-cannabis-sativa-into-brisbane/story-e6freon6-1225923776493

[rollingnumberspassingtime]

Why did they keep qualifying that it was sativa??

 

Does anyone else find this odd?

[Fibrofeend]

My understanding of the ignorant Australian cannabis laws is that all choof is classed as cannabis sativa, even though it may be pure indica, according to the law its just a variant of C.sativa.

 

I am fairly sure the defence of its not sativa has been tried and failed?