A North-West jury took three hours on Monday to find a woman guilty of attempting to import 708.6 grams of pure meth from Thailand to Ulverstone.
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Lily Sara Foster, 42, now faces a lengthy prison sentence, to be handed down by Chief Justice Alan Blow at her next court appearance early next year.
The maximum penalty for her crime is 25 years in prison, and/or a $550000 fine. The crime is also classed as a Commonwealth crime, and so required a unanimous decision from the jury.
The Burnie Supreme Court heard during the trial that Foster and Jason Peter Earle had been caught on camera in 2019 accepting a parcel filled with underwear and fake drugs from a police officer disguised as an Australia Post employee.
Crown prosecutor Patrick O'Halloran argued during sentencing submissions that Foster should be given a full custodial sentence, due to the serious nature of the offence and the need for deterrence.
He also pointed out Earle, already in prison for the same incident, had received a 20 per cent discount on his seven-year sentence due to his early guilty plea, which Foster had not done.
Defence lawyer Greg Richardson explained his client's background during his submission, arguing that her "impressive" work record in the face of addiction - including a stint working as a chef for celebrity chef Ben Milbourne - and recent efforts to help others who were addicted to drugs would be ruined by a full custodial sentence.
The court also heard Foster had in 2010 given birth to a daughter, who would need to be considered in the sentence.
Mr Richardson described his client's on-and-off addiction to both illicit substances and alcohol, which resurfaced in 2018 when she turned to methamphetamine as a replacement for her ADHD medication, which stopped working for her after she abused it.
He said Foster had known Earle as a supplier, and that the two were "shooting up" with meth the day the package arrived.
Despite the guilty verdict, the defence lawyer maintained Foster had not known about the package until it was in the country.
"There is absolutely no argument for parity (between Earle and Foster) in this case," he said.
"Mr Earle made all the arrangements. My submission is that if she didn't exist in the world it would still have happened."
Mr Richardson said Foster had since made an "extraordinary effort" to turn her life around, including securing a job with the Tasmanian Alcohol and Drug Service as a lived experience advocate.
He submitted that Foster's sentence should be "substantial", but wholly suspended.
Mr O'Halloran pointed out the crime of importation involved many different roles, highlighted Foster's attendance at Earle's house the very day the fake drugs were delivered, and reminded that the bra-filled package required a woman's signature.
Foster has been bailed to appear before the court on February 2, 2022.
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