Broome man sentenced to 18 months’ jail after 9kg of cannabis found stuffed in washing machine
A Broome man has been sentenced to 18 months’ jail after he was caught transporting a washing machine stuffed with nine kilograms of cannabis.
Key points:
- Reginald Kelly was charged over drug trafficking and possession of illegally obtained goods in 2021
- Police say they uncovered nearly 14 kilograms of cannabis in his possession during a targeted traffic stop
- Kelly was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment
Reginald Kelly appeared in WA’s District Court charged with drug trafficking and possessing stolen property, believed to be about $43,000 in cash.
The court heard the 72-year-old taxi driver met a friend in Perth to pick up a recently purchased washing machine.
Prosecutor Annemarie Tully said Kelly knew it had been stuffed with nine kilograms of cannabis when he agreed to take it with him on his drive north to Broome.
Kelly was stopped by police on the Great Northern Highway, where police found the washing machine, and a separate packing box containing another five kilograms of the drug.
A further search also found $43,250 in a cash box.
The court heard police found the drugs in a targetted traffic stop on the Great Northern Highway.()
Kelly denied he knew the contents of the box and washing machine, and said he was doing the trip for a friend as a favour, but later pleaded guilty in court and accepted his role as a courier.
Kelly’s defence lawyer Max Crispe said it was important to note the five kilograms found in a separate packing box had been bought by Kelly for personal use, due to myriad health problems.
Mr Crispe said Kelly was the victim of an attempted murder in 2018, and continued to bear health problems from the incident.
However prosecutor Ms Tully said regardless, Kelly had been complicit in acting as a courier to Broome with a quantity of drugs.
“[His offending] is more serious than just someone who is delivering it to Perth … where it is easily accessible and therefore cheaper.”
Police found cannabis and more than $40,000 in cash in a washing machine.()
During sentencing, Judge Mara Barone said it was disappointing to see someone of Kelly’s character embroiled in drug trafficking.
“[You are an] otherwise upstanding member of the community in Western Australia who has, it seems, stayed out of trouble for most of your life up until your elderly years and you found yourself in this position,” she said.
“The community suffers harm when people bring substances like cannabis into the community and makes it available for others to use.”
Judge Barone sentenced Kelly to 18 months’ jail on April 13.
She said delays during his sentencing meant he was now eligible for immediate release.
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