A Taiwanese national will serve his prison sentence in the community, after the magistrate found he was "more like a courier", and had made an early plea of guilty to drug-related charges, which earned him a discount.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Chia-Pin Kuo, 33, appeared in Tamworth Local Court on Wednesday, July 3, after pleading guilty to charges of: recklessly deal with proceeds of crime for an amount greater than $5000; and take part in supply a prohibited drug (small and indictable quantity).
The cash was seized and Kuo was taken to Cootamundra Police Station and charged with recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Tamworth detectives later applied for a search warrant to comb the 33-year-old's Hillvue home, where they located 693 grams of cannabis in a vacuum sealed bag in his bedroom.
Kuo told police he was aware the cannabis was at his home, but said it wasn't his, and that it was being stored at his premises on behalf of another person.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Rebecca Skivington told the court the offences faced by Kuo were planned and part of an organised criminal activity.
Sgt Skivington said the prosecution accepted the defence's submission that Kuo's involvement appeared at the lower end of the scale, and he had admitted it was for financial gain.
"At the time of the offence it appears he had no insight into the effects drugs have on the community," she said.
'No criminal history'
Kuo's solicitor Stephen Doupe told the court the 33-year-old arrived in Australia in 2018 and was a person of "good character with no criminal history in Taiwan or Australia".
"My client was on a working holiday visa until June 2024, when the visa lapsed," Mr Doupe said.
"He has now applied for a protected visa, as it is unsafe for him to return to Taiwan."
The court heard Kuo was now living in Hillvue with four people with no criminal history, and working as a massage therapist in Tamworth for up to 35 hours a week for the past three months.
"Sentence assessments have deemed him suitable for community service and a low risk of re-offending," Mr Doupe said.
The solicitor acknowledged the seriousness of the offences Kuo was facing, but asked the court to consider the role each offender played in that syndicate.
"I submit, these facts point to Kuo being a runner, at the lowest rung in the syndicate," he said.
Magistrate Julie Soars said she was satisfied Kuo's role in the matter was "more like a courier" and noted his early guilty plea on all matters had earned him a discount on his sentence.
"I will enforce some community service, but not too much as he's working to support himself," she said.
Kuo was sentenced to an aggregate term of imprisonment of 18 months to be served by way of an Intensive Correction Order (ICO).
Under the ICO Kuo must perform 40 hours of community service work.
To a further charge of never licensed person to drive vehicle on road (first offence), Magistrate Soars fined Kuo $150.
She ordered the drugs be destroyed and the proceeds be forfeited to the crown.
