A criminal has been described as a "very unsophisticated street-level dealer" by a judge after being extradited from Thailand more than eight years after he fled Canberra.
Gregory Jason Merrilees was arrested on a warrant after police found cocaine and thousands of dollars in his locker at a Canberra health club.
He failed to show up to court twice in March 2016 with a warrant issued for his arrest, and was returned to Australia to face court in August 2024.
The criminal had previously pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in a controlled drug, namely cocaine.
On Tuesday in the ACT Supreme Court, Justice Louise Taylor said Merrilees appeared to be dealing drugs to fund his own habit and it "was not a sophisticated trade".
The court heard Merrilees was "substantially addicted" to cocaine at the time, and he was a "sole trader" in his drug trafficking work.
Police raided Merrilees' locker at a Canberra health club in June 2015, while he was serving a suspended sentence in the community.
Officers found $3550 in cash and a plastic bag of white powder, suspected of being cocaine, in the locker.
Defence barrister Anthony Williamson SC said Merrilees had "all but ceased" using cocaine during his years in Thailand. He said the criminal was working as a fitness trainer and his life "had never been so good".
Mr Williamson also said while the 17.6 grams of cocaine found by police was not an "insignificant amount", it wasn't a large commercial operation.
He argued the criminal wasn't living a "luxurious" life, and wasn't buying "nice jewellery" or "expensive electronic goods" with his profits.
"[The dealing] doesn't rise above street level dealing, it was unsophisticated with no significant outlay of funds," he said.
"[Merrilees] could be characterised as a sole trader with no employees."
He argued it was in Merrilees' best interest to be released back into the community, and given the opportunity to return overseas or interstate.
Mr Williamson also noted Merrilees had been recently diagnosed with autism, and post traumatic stress disorder from his time spent in a Thai detention centre before his return to Australia.
"[He was] exposed to human squalor... the food provided was substandard to say the least, consisting of cabbage and not much more, and medical treatment nonexistent," he said.
Prosecutor Katie McCann argued Merrilees could not be trusted in the community after failing to comply with past court conditions.
He was serving a previous sentence in the community when he engaged in the "sale and supply of illicit substances" before he "fled the country", she said.
"This would be a cycle of Mr Merrilees engaging in breaches of court orders over and over again," she said.
Justice Taylor is set to hand-down Merrilees' sentence at a later date.
