“Ice” drug smuggler Dale Shirdon faces 25 years in jail for bringing 480grams into the Territory

 
Dale Shirdon faces 25 years in jail after smuggling 480grams of the drug “ice” into Darwi

Dale Shirdon faces 25 years in jail after smuggling 480grams of the drug “ice” into Darwin. Picture: Facebook

 

A DRUG smuggler who brought 480g of methamphetamine into the Territory, as part of a bikie-related syndicate, is facing 25 years in jail.

Dale Shirdon was caught red-handed by police at the Rydges Darwin Airport Hotel in April last year.

The NT Supreme Court yesterday heard how the 23-year-old strapped the “ice” on to his body before boarding a flight from Sydney to Darwin.

Prosecutor David Morters said Shirdon had been employed as a drug courier by the Bandidos bikie gang’s national sergeant of arms, Wayne Brown.

Brown is in isolation in prison after he provided information about the drug ring to police, leading to a significantly reduced sentence.

Mr Morters said while Shirdon was the “bunny” and Mr Brown was “the enforcer”, he still played a large role in the illegal operation.

“He had a substantially worrying quantity of methamphetamine, just under half a kilo,’’ he said.

“Here was close to half-a-million dollars worth of drugs being transferred up to ­Darwin.”

Mr Morters said despite pleading guilty, Shirdon had refused to cooperate with police and tell them who was at the centre of the drug ring in Sydney.

However defence lawyer Julie Franz said that Shirdon had not spoken to police ­because he feared for his family’s safety.

Ms Franz said her client had never been a member of a gang and had “never aspired to be a member of a gang”.

Ms Franz said Shirdon was “seriously addicted” to ­methamphetamine at the time of offending. “He wasn’t in a position to think clearly and objectively,’’ she said. “He can’t believe the place he got himself into and what he was doing.”

The court heard police had not caught Shirdon with the full 480g of ice.

But Brown confirmed that he smuggled that amount on the plane.

Ms Franz asked Justice Graham Hiley to consider a partly suspended sentence in the hope her client could return to Queensland to be with his family.

Shirdon will be sentenced on March 30.

Originally published as Drug smuggler could be put on ice

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