By Alesha Capone
A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for drugs charges, one of which was committed while he was on bail.
Sehwhy Nipoe pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to import a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug and one charge of attempting to possess an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. In both cases, the drug involved was methamphetamine.
The County Court earlier this month heard that in August 2015, authorities intercepted a consignment from Hong Kong which contained a suitcase with packages of methamphetamine.
Australian Federal Police monitored the consignment, which was later delivered to an address in Margaret Street, Werribee.
The court was told Nipoe’s nephew signed for the package in Werribee then drove to his uncle’s house in Truganina, where he placed the suitcase in the garage.
The suitcase was seized by Australian Federal Police shortly afterwards and found to contain 544.6 grams of pure methamphetamine.
Nipoe was arrested when he arrived home later that day. He was charged with attempting to possess an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug and released on bail.
In December, 2015, Nipoe was charged with attempting to possess an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug in a commercial quantity after federal police intercepted eight boxes which arrived in Australia from China.
The boxes contained 8.634 kilograms of pure methamphetamine with a street value of about $875,000.
Judge Frances Hogan said she was satisfied that Nipoe played a “significant role” in the importation of both lots of drugs.
She sentenced Nipoe to eight years in prison for the possession charge and nine years for the importation charge, with two years to be served concurrently.
Nipoe will not be eligible for parole for 11 years.
