Edward Leigh Dickson was sentenced to four years in prison with a two-year non-parole period for running 15.67 kg of cannabis from South Australia toward Darwin, and his Toyota LandCruiser and the $1,990 cash he carried were forfeited to the Northern Territory government.[1] Police stopped the LandCruiser at about 9:30 am on Tuesday 28 February 2012 at the Tanami and Stuart highways intersection, about 20 km north of Alice Springs, where 35 one-pound cryovacced packages were hidden in three carry bags on the roof rack.[2][3] The court later analysed the haul at 15,671.71 g of cannabis plant material, plus 13.85 g accepted as Dickson’s own supply.[3]
Dickson’s travelling companion Anthony Kaissis was behind the wheel at the stop, but the Crown accepted he knew nothing of the cannabis and he faced no part in the case.[3] Police believed the drugs were bound for Darwin and possibly for remote communities, where profits would have been highest.[2] Dickson told police a man known only as “J” had loaded the bags in Adelaide and promised him $5,000, plus two pounds of cannabis as payment, for the Darwin run.[3]
Sentence
The Supreme Court rejected Dickson’s courier story, finding he had been cultivating rotational hydroponic crops in two grow rooms at his North Plympton home in Adelaide, with twelve plants and 51 rooted clones found, far beyond any personal need.[3] He had pleaded guilty to aggravated supply of a commercial quantity of cannabis, and the court called the consignment a major quantity intended for the Top End market.[3] The forfeited LandCruiser was later sold at auction in Alice Springs for $7,500.[1]
