Gary Antony Gordon Batchelor: Albany man gets intensive supervision order for selling meth to undercover cops

An Albany man who sold drugs to undercover detectives conducting a sting operation in July 2023 has avoided jail. Gary Antony Gordon Batchelor was sentenced in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday for selling and offering to sell methamphetamine between June 20 and July 20 2023, to which he pleaded guilty on February 14. Albany police arrested Batchelor in a sting operation to crack a drug ring operating in Albany, with the 37-year-old selling 7.63g of methamphetamine to undercover police officers on five separate occasions around Albany. Albany police executed a misuse of drugs search warrant on July 27 2023, and uncovered drug paraphernalia including a black light and scales, 0.2g of methamphetamine, and a phone containing photos of methamphetamine and texts discussing the sale of 1.75g of the illicit drug for $1000. Batchelor’s defence lawyer Bruno Illari said his client had engaged continuously with alcohol and other drugs organisation Palmerston since he was fined for related offences in February. After a falling out with his former employer in May 2023, Batchelor lost his job and accommodation, with the resulting stress leading to his methamphetamine use, Mr Illari said. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell acknowledged Batchelor’s engagement with Palmerston and said he was by no means “a commercial dealer”. “Any offending to offer to sell drugs — particularly methamphetamine, which causes so much strife in the community — is serious,” she said. Batchelor was sentenced to a 10-month intensive supervision order with program requirements.