A former senior Canberra Comanchero who admitted to trafficking drugs, possessing weapons, and using dirty money to try and buy a stake in a tattoo parlour won’t spend more time behind bars.
Instead, Jirawat Marrotnok McCallum, 31, on Tuesday had a custodial sentence of two years and nine months fully suspended. In place of jail time, Chief Justice Helen Murrell ruled he should comply with a drug and alcohol treatment order for a minimum of 12 months.
The order is a requirement of the ACT’s new Drug and Alcohol Sentencing List, which McCallum is one of the first people to go through. The court heard McCallum, who previously confirmed he had been the “road captain” of the Canberra Comanchero bikie club, transferred $30,000 to the director of the Lakeside Tattoo Parlour in Belconnen on March 7, 2018.
The money – which McCallum admitted was from drug trafficking – was for a share in the shop, but the parlour was seized by police and shut down in July, 2019.
McCallum also previously pleaded guilty to two charges of drug trafficking. Police raided his home in August, 2018 and found 13 bags of cocaine totalling 405 grams and eight bags of cannabis weighing 1871 grams.
The drugs were estimated to be worth a combined minimum of $118,000. Police also seized a Taser, an extendable baton and knuckledusters from his home.
On Tuesday, McCallum appeared to be relieved after Justice Murrell handed down the sentence. He previously told the court he felt he had let everyone around him down with his offending and his focus now was moving forward positively and supporting his family.
If McCallum completes the drug and alcohol treatment order successfully, he could spend the rest of his sentence on a good behaviour order. It is set to run from January 28, 2020, to October 29, 2022. If he doesn’t comply with the order, he risks spending the rest of his sentence in Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre, where he has already spent time in custody.
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Source: Canberra Times