High-profile Alice Springs financial advisor Harris Shortland has been found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Alice Springs.
Shortland pleaded not guilty to five charges relating to allegedly sending cocaine concealed inside a clock, a robot, and a motorbike helmet from Los Angeles via post from October 2017 to August 2018.
He was charged with two counts of importing or exporting a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug, two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of a schedule one drug, and one count of receiving or possessing $18,000 in cash knowing that it was obtained through supplying a dangerous drug.
One count of supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine was thrown out during the trial.
Not guilty of importing drugs inside clock and robot
The jury returned with their verdict on Friday afternoon, after more than 11 hours' deliberation and 13 days of hearing evidence and legal arguments in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in Alice Springs.
The 12 jurors unanimously found Shortland guilty of importing a marketable quantity of cocaine from Los Angeles to Alice Springs inside a motorbike helmet in July 2018.
He was also found guilty of possessing $18,000 from the sale of cocaine in Alice Springs, and of supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine in the town between December 2017 and July 2018.
The jury found Shortland not guilty of importing cocaine in two other alleged packages — a clock and a robot — between October 2017 and July 2018.
The trial hinged on the evidence of Shortland's former partner, Roshani Byerley, who told the court over six days how she had participated in a cocaine operation with Shortland.
The charges each attract a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
Defence will appeal
Shortland's lawyer was granted leave to appeal the jury's guilty verdict on the charge of supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine.
Stephen Robson SC argued there was a "very clear inconsistency" with the jury finding Shortland not guilty of importing cocaine inside the clock and robot packages and guilty of the commercial supply charge.
Justice Graham Hiley granted the leave to appeal, but rejected an application for bail.
Shortland was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the coming weeks.
