Former Tasmanian chef jailed over $2m drug syndicate operation
A former chef who stored and delivered more than 4.5 kilograms of methylamphetamine and cocaine for a statewide crime syndicate has been jailed for four years and three months, with the last 18 months suspended.
The 34-year-old, who cannot be named, was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on October 2 after pleading guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance. He also pleaded guilty to a summary charge of possessing cannabis.
Justice Stephen Estcourt said the drugs had an estimated street value of between $1.9 million and $2.1 million.
The court heard the man's home was used to store drugs for the syndicate between April and November 2025. Couriers dropped off large quantities, which he kept in his shed. Acting on instructions received through the encrypted app Threema, he weighed, packaged and delivered the drugs. Police observed him making multiple deliveries, and some of the drugs were later sold in towns including Smithton, Stanley, Perth, Glenorchy and Brighton.
A joint taskforce between Tasmania Police and the Australian Federal Police was formed in February 2025 to investigate the syndicate, and several people were charged. Police searched the man's home on November 12, 2025, but found no drugs.
He admitted his role and said he was paid $250 to $300 a week, totalling about $2,000 to $3,000. He told police he had been pressured to continue. Prosecutors accepted he may have wanted to stop earlier but said he ultimately chose not to. The court heard he spent most of his earnings on a cannabis addiction and did not use the drugs he handled.
Justice Estcourt accepted defence submissions that the early plea showed "genuine acceptance of responsibility and remorse" and applied a 25 per cent discount to the sentence.
The man had never been in custody before this case and had two prior convictions for summary drug offences. He previously worked as a chef before moving into a painting apprenticeship when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the hospitality industry.
The suspended portion of the sentence is conditional on him not committing an offence punishable by imprisonment for two years after his release. The sentence is backdated to September 4, when he was remanded in custody, and he will be eligible for parole after 16 and a half months.
Jonathan Jackson, 8th October, 2026
