A Gilgandra resident has admitted he tried to smuggle drugs into a prison on the Mid North Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Prison staff were suspicious of Douglas Mervin Harvey's behaviour when he went to the Aldavilla facility on July 7.
As a result the 37-year-old man had his visitation rights downgraded and he was only allowed a non-contact visit.
According to a statement of agreed facts presented in Dubbo Local Court last week, Harvey looked like he was close to collapsing and appeared unsteady on his feet at the end of the visit.
Prison staff saw him sitting on stairs, spewing.
When staff approached Harvey they found several coloured balloons on the ground between his feet.
An ambulance was called and police conducted a search of the "box" the visit occurred in.
Balloons were found, along with buprenorphine strips.
Harvey was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital where he was treated for a suspected drug overdose.
While in hospital he admitted he attended the prison to meet a mate and introduce 35 buprenorphine strips.
When the mate failed to show up, police said Harvey swallowed the drugs.
In court, Harvey's legal representative said the the offender had got in with the wrong crowd.
Harvey pleaded guilty to one count of introducing illegal drugs into a place of detention.
Magistrate Theresa Hamilton noted Harvey had satisfactorily participated in a pre-sentencing program for people with substance abuse problems.
"This is an offence which is viewed seriously," she told the court.
Harvey was convicted and sentenced to a community corrections order for 18 months.
