A former West Launceston security guard caught dealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of ice and other drugs to users and dealers throughout Launceston has been jailed for 10 months.
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A Supreme Court justice described the offending of Matthew John Cameron, 39, as "benefiting from the addiction and misery of others", stemming from Cameron's own descent into ice addiction in 2015.
Police carried out search warrants on his house five times between March 2, 2016 and August 7, 2018, finding varying quantities of ice each time.
During the first search, police found 4.9 grams of MDMA, five ice pipes, scales, a small quantity of ice and a phone which had evidence of "obvious dealing" via Facebook Messenger.
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In one message, Cameron mentioned that he was owed $45,000 by buyers.
A police search of the property three weeks later uncovered 33.6 grams of ice in a shed - some hidden in a cavity - along with 36 MDMA pills, 12 grams of cannabis, and more than $8000 in cash.
A phone contained evidence of a tick sheet detailing $46,000 in cash owed for drugs. Another conversation outlined a deal in which Cameron received a four-wheel-drive in exchange for 1.75 grams of ice.
Cameron was caught with a taser, glass pipe and $7800 in cash in his car in May, 2016.
Police searched him again in June, 2017, after he was stopped while riding a bike in Launceston. Cameron had 24.7 grams of ice, valued at up to $24,000.
Another search of his home in mid-2018 uncovered three bags of ice totalling 39.4 grams, valued at between $20,000 and $40,000.
Cameron spent 13 months in jail on unrelated matters before being released in December last year.
The court heard he has lost his employment, but he abstained from ice since his prison sentence which had "made clear the consequences of serious offending".
References outlining Cameron's good character were tendered to court. He had enjoyed steady employment and was an accomplished sportsman before becoming addicted to ice in 2015.
Justice Robert Pearce said Cameron's drug dealing business was "an enterprise of substance", but was not sophisticated.
Cameron was ordered to pay $12,360 to cover the cost of testing the seized drugs.
He was jailed for 20 months, with 10 months to be suspended. He will serve a 15-month home detention order upon his release.