As both a drug addict and dealer, Brodie Booth had pleaded with his Wangaratta syndicate boss for his next delivery of methamphetamine.
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Appearing in court on Thursday, his lawyer pleaded for his freedom.
Booth was a minor player in the syndicate that involved about 50 people and was worth about $2 million over six months in 2014.
He pleaded guilty in the Wangaratta Court to trafficking methamphetamine and OxyContin.
Magistrate Ian Watkins decided against a jail sentence and handed down an 18-month community corrections order.
Booth was ordered to complete 220 hours of unpaid work and fined $400.
Crown prosecutor Max Perry said when Booth was arrested on August 5, police found three 30-gram bags of cannabis hidden on a garage shelf at his home.
A wad of $16,600 in cash also lay on the floor of his grandmother's bedroom.
“The grandmother has been interviewed and indicated she didn't know where the money came from or who owned it,” Mr Perry said.
A police tap on the phone of drug syndicate leader Jessica Fogarty, 26, found Booth bought a total of 10.5 grams of ice to deal.
He referred to a 3.5-gram ball of ice as a “footy” and the drug money as “ticket” or “permission slips”.
Fogarty was heard telling him to pay drug debts up to $1800 before he could receive his next batch.
Solicitor Zarah Garde-Wilson said Booth was a drug addict but had returned clean urine screens since his release on bail, though he had been unable to find drug treatment since his arrest.
“It’s very limited what facilities are available in Wangaratta,” Ms Garde-Wilson said.
“My client was suffering from a methamphetamine addiction and the trafficking was in that context.”
Mr Watkins said he accepted Booth was remorseful and was a young man with job prospects for the future.
But he said the Wangaratta community was angry with how ice had impacted the city.
“Methamphetamine is a drug that has destroyed many families,” he said.
“You’ve played a role in spreading that.”
