Drug calls were recorded

But magistrate Margaret Quinn was told in Albury Local Court how Delahunty quickly became addicted to the drug and began supplying it.

Ms Quinn described Delahunty as “a junkie supplier” when imposing 11-month jail terms on three drug supply charges with a minimum period of five months and two days.

The sentence was backdated to August 19 last year, enabling Delahunty, 19, to be released from custody.

He was fined $400 on a charge of using a device to record conversations.

Solicitor Andrea MacDonald said Delahunty had pleaded to the four charges after representations were made to police and other matters were withdrawn.

The court was told in tendered facts that Delahunty had worked casually in the building industry.

Police obtained evidence suggesting Delahunty was a heavy user and an integral part of an ice supply network in the Albury area.

Phone intercepts by police indicated he appeared to be supplying on a daily basis.

Police seized mobile phones belonging to him and there were photographs of large sums of cash, but Delahunty claimed the money did not belong to him.

Delahunty used several phones and avoided discussing drug weights and prices over the phone with codes used.

Money was referred to as “paper”, “paperwork”, “cabbage” and “documents” while some of the terms used for ice included “fishing bait”, “glass”, “beers”, “motivation”, “madness”, “cigarettes” and “stuff”.

Between April 9 and 21 last year Delahunty recorded 500 minutes of phone calls between himself and others without telling them.

Ms MacDonald said Delahunty had been in protection in jail, spending up to 18 hours a day in his cell.

“Hopefully we will not see him again in these circumstances,” Ms MacDonald said when suggesting supervision.

“You put yourself in this position,” Ms Quinn said.

“You have become a junkie, a drug addict.

“It is going to be your choice whether you go back to jail.

“The amount of drugs is very small.”

But she said Delahunty must be deterred from committing further offences and any breaches would result in him going back to jail.