A magistrate has said a father's drug trafficking operation selling a large amount of six types of drugs was 'substantial' and 'continuous'.
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Ryan Fox, 33, appeared via video link and was sentenced at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Monday.
He had pleaded guilty to 14 charges in March.
Police summaries, obtained by The Courier, reveal police executed a search warrant at Fox's Golden Point home in April 2020.
They found $2700 in cash, 100 Xanax tablets, 150 ecstasy tablets, 28 grams of cocaine, 30 grams of ketamine, 28 grams of amphetamine and 13 grams of MDMA in crystal form in his bedroom.
Twenty grams of magic mushroom capsules and 500 grams of dried cannabis ready for sale were located between a kitchen cupboard and his bedroom.
This was a substantial, continued commercial arrangement involving investment, turnover and organisation by you.
- Magistrate Ron Saines
Police also found zip lock bags and electronic scales and seized Fox's mobile phone which contained messages relating to drug trafficking.
Fox made admissions to police to trafficking drugs to make money to support his family which included his three children.
He told police the Xanax was for personal use.
The drug trafficking was committed while on bail for a previous charge of driving while suspended.
He was granted bail but was caught in possession of drugs again nine months later.
Police executed a search warrant at his property again on December 23, 2020 and found six zip lock bags containing cannabis.
Fox has been in custody almost four months since his arrest in December.
Magistrate Ron Saines said he considered the drugs found a large quantity.
"This was a substantial, continued commercial arrangement involving investment, turnover and organisation by you," he said.
"These charges are a serious example of trafficking drugs and the seriousness is aggravated in doing so while on bail."
The court heard this was Fox's second time in prison and he had repeatedly been troubled by drug use throughout his life.
Mr Saines said he gave consideration to Fox's prospect of employment upon his release and his parenting responsibilities as an incentive to 'do better'.
"You have a challenge on your hands," he said.
"It is the choices you make that will determine whether this is your last stint in jail or not."
Mr Saines said any sentence must meet the objectives of denunciation, fair and just punishment, rehabilitation and send a message of general and specific deterrence.
Fox was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, reduced by almost four months time already served.
His licence was suspended for three months.
He will be required to complete a community corrections order upon his release with drug abuse and mental health treatment and rehabilitation.
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