A BALLARAT mother who pleaded guilty to trafficking ice has been placed on a community corrections order.
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Julie Quinn, 32, pleaded guilty to eight offences, including trafficking methylamphetamine and contravening a condition of bail, at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The court heard police executed a search warrant at a Haddon address the mother-of-two was living at, and found a number of drug paraphernalia, including digital scales, an ice pipe, $1180 in cash and a mobile phone containing trafficking related messages.
The woman, who also contravened the conditions of her bail on 44 occasions by not reporting to police, said in an interview she had been using ice for two years and had been selling it for the last six months for $50-$80 a point.
She couldn’t tell police how much she had sold during the time, but did sell five points for $200 on the side of the road the night before the search warrant in June.
Quinn’s lawyer, Jeremy Harper, described the situation as “unusual”, with this the first time his client had been in trouble with the law.
He said it was hard to determine when things went wrong, but said it was likely after a relationship break-up in 2013.
Mr Harper said Quinn started using drugs after the break-up and now suffered from depression.
Having spent almost two weeks in custody, he said the experience was a great motivation for Quinn to change her ways.
“She is determined to remove herself from those people she associated with,” he said.
Magistrate Gregory Robinson said he believed the time served was a sufficient penalty.
“Drugs tear up your family and other people’s families because you distribute them,” he said.
“It’s important now to focus on rehabilitation.”
Quinn was placed on an 18-month community corrections order with directions to participate in treatment and rehabilitation for drugs.