Drug spiral leads to jail

An Albany mother was in the middle of a “short spiral downhill” from methamphetamine addiction when she was caught with a friend attempting to traffic what was labelled one of the biggest drug hauls seized by local detectives two years ago.

In the space of five months since being introduced by her brother to smoking methamphetamine, Tahnee Rochelle Hill had progressed to what the prosecution labelled as a “mid-level dealer” by the time she and co-accused Mark Anthony Stolban were arrested outside Albany airport in December 2012.

The co-accused were last week jailed by the Perth District Court for attempting to bring 96g of methamphetamine, 108 ecstacy pills and 68g of cannabis into Albany.

Hill, who eventually pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing prohibited drugs with intent to sell or supply, was jailed for four years, while Stolban, labelled a street-level user dealer was jailed for three years.

Stolban was found guilty by an Albany jury in August which believed he knew the drugs were in the car he drove to Perth for Hill to source the drugs from associates.

What they were unaware of was that detectives had begun intercepting calls and text messages from both their mobile phones as part of Operation Lerion.

When the pair returned to Albany three days later, detectives were waiting for them.

In sentencing, Hill’s defence counsel David Walls said his client had accepted responsibility and should be spared a lengthy jail term because her offending was an “isolated incidence”.

“She was only involved in methylamphetamine for five months,” Mr Walls said.

“But that is the particular nature of this drug; it can be a matter of five days where people find themselves committing, you know, serious crimes to fund their habit.”

Stolban was classified as a user “street level” dealer, with Judge Stephen Scott describing Stolban’s role as important in sourcing the drugs.

“You knew that she intended to pick up quantities of these drugs,” he said.

“This, however, was a serious offence because without you taking Ms Hill up to Mandurah and elsewhere, and bringing her back, she wouldn’t have been able to get there.”

Hill will be eligible for parole in two years with her sentence back dated to February this year, and Stolban will serve at least 18 months before being released.

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