This article is from yesterdays (Tuesday) Courier Mail.
Here's the link...
Here's the link...
Drug company rep jailed for speed dealings
by Mark Oberhardt
10dec02
A PHARMACEUTICAL company executive supplied large amounts of drugs for amphetamine production to two friends who landed in financial trouble.
In the Supreme Court in Brisbane yesterday, Ian Phillip Thompson's good nature landed him a four-year jail sentence.
The court was told Thompson was employed by a pharmaceutical company to buy and promote medicinal drugs and he befriended two men also employed in the industry.
When the men got into financial difficulties, Thompson was enticed to help them by providing them with drugs containing pseudoephedrine, a major ingredient in methlyamphetamine ("speed").
Two years ago they were caught up in a major investigation, involving officers from the National Crime Authority and Queensland and West Australian police, into interstate drug trafficking.
The court was told the investigation showed Thompson was involved in selling large amounts of shelf drugs to bikies and later a pharmacist who were producing methylamphetamine.
Thompson also nominated a drugs warehouse for an attempted break-in.
Thompson, 28, pleaded guilty to four charges of producing methylamphetamine between January 1, 2000, and October 21 last year.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to break and enter a warehouse with intent to commit an offence in August last year.
Prosecutor Michael Lehane said Thompson was charged under the extended versions of the offences in that he knowingly provided material for drug production and knowingly identified a property for a theft.
He said the shelf drugs provided had the potential to produce 9.336kg of pseudoephedrine and 8.4kg of pure methylamphetamine.
Mr Lehane said the street value of the methylamphetamine would conservatively be millions of dollars.
Mr Lehane outlined how Thompson became involved in the scheme to help his cash-strapped friends, one of whom worked at drug distribution warehouse while the other was a middle man between Thompson and bikies.
Mr Lehane said Thompson did the first transaction out of friendship and received between $1000 and $1500 for the next two.
He said the fourth transaction involved a shelf drug from which the bikies were unable to extract pseudoephedrine and they demanded their money back.
The drugs were then sold to a pharmacist/chemist who was able to extract pseudoephedrine from them.
Mr Lehane said Thompson told his friend and a bikie the location of a warehouse where a large amount of drugs were stored but an attempted theft failed.
Justice Brian Ambrose said it was a very serious matter for a pharmaceutical industry employee to be involved in the production of a drug which was causing many problems in the community.
He sentenced Thompson to four years jail with a recommendation for parole after 15 months.
gee... i wonder how they found out??? maybe it was the 5000+ packets of nasal decongestant that was missing??
M
[ 11 December 2002: Message edited by: Maxi ]
