A 1000-kilometre drug run was foiled when police stopped a courier van and uncovered more than nine kilograms of ice hidden inside furniture.
Umar Amin fronted Newcastle District Court via video link from custody on Tuesday when he was sentenced to five years and three months in jail, with three years non-parole.
The now 26-year-old had pleaded guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, and possessing an unauthorised pistol.
Amin was arrested after the courier vehicle was stopped by police on the Pacific Highway north of Newcastle, near Nerong, on April 20 last year.
The court heard a search of the vehicle revealed between eight and 10 bags of methylamphetamine hidden inside a table and safe.
His defence solicitor argued Amin had a "limited and unsophisticated role" in the drug supply, with a simple plan to pull over and sleep on the side of the road when tired until the trip between Sydney and Queensland was done.
He said there was no evidence Amin was paid for moving the stash of drugs.
The court heard Amin was in the grips of addiction himself at the time, spending up to $7000 a week on cocaine and other drugs, and gambling on top of that.
"It's an addiction-based crime ... there's not a stack of cash lying somewhere," his defence solicitor said.
Judge Roy Ellis said he accepted Amin was a heavy user of drugs at the time but did not accept he was spending that much money on them, because it couldn't be funded.
"As a courier he could expect to be receiving some payment, and that may well have been in drugs rather than in cash," Judge Ellis said.
The Crown prosecutor argued Amin had been "ready, willing and able" to transport a "highly addictive drug up the Pacific Highway" for about 1000 kilometres.
"He was prepared to go a long way, Your Honour," the prosecutor said.
But the border crossing never eventuated, with police stopping the vehicle just three hours after it left Sydney.
Police raided Amin's house in connection with the drug haul the day after his roadside arrest.
There, officers discovered a Walther P22 pistol in a black New Balance duffel bag inside a wardrobe, with a supply of ammunition nearby.
"We don't seem to have any explanation for why it was there," Judge Ellis said.
He said the only criminal matters that Amin was "into" which "might call for the use of a gun" was drugs, but he didn't have it with him on the Pacific Highway.
"I can say - there is no legitimate purpose for possessing an unauthorised pistol," Judge Ellis said.
"He was making some rather silly decisions, that may well be another one."
For the offence of possessing ammunition, Amin was handed a criminal conviction but no further penalty.
Psychological reports were handed up, and some troubling factors in Amin's background were detailed to the court before Judge Ellis decided his sentence.
The court heard Amin was remorseful, and had written a letter to the court.
After time served, he will be eligible for release in April, 2025.
The court heard a woman was driving the courier vehicle at the time it was stopped near Nerong, but she has denied any involvement, and will stand trial on charges next year.
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