Man jailed for 13 months over meth seizure

A 31-year-old Sunset Beach man has been sentenced to 13 months jail for possessing 4.51g of methamphetamine, at up to 80 per cent purity.

At 9.15am on July 5, police executed a search warrant on the Sunset Beach property Steven Michael Downes was staying at.

Downes was found in the lounge room and a nearby laptop bag was found to contain three clip-seal bags which held 1.61g of methamphetamine at 70 per cent purity, 1.82g at 75 per cent purity, and 1.08g at 80 per cent purity.

Detectives also found an HTC mobile phone Downes admitted ownership of, and on it was a text message offering to sell “two HBs” (two “half balls”, or 3.5g of methamphetamine) to another person for $1000.

In the District Court in Geraldton last week, Downes pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply, and making an offer to sell or supply methamphetamine to another.

The offences occurred while Downes was still on parole, after a prior sentence for similar charges.

Defence counsel Ryan Arndt said Downes had completed 11 months of parole, and not long before the offence his employment had come to an end, with his relapse into methamphetamine following shortly after.

Mr Arndt also indicated Downes would likely be accepted into the Wandalgu rehabilitation program to assist with getting away from methamphetamine.

Judge Vicki Stewart said Downes should know the negative impacts of methamphetamine given his personal experience, but accepted he was only a low level user-dealer.

“You were a willing vendor of methamphetamines into the community,” she said.

“If you relapse into methamphetamine use you’ll come straight back to court, and you’ll go straight back to jail.”

“So whatever you do go to the rehabilitation facility.”

Ms Stewart backdated Downes’ sentence to September 23.