A Tamworth man sentenced to eight years' jail for his role in a drug supply ring has described himself as a "gutless person".
Police had alleged Stephen Ross Hanshaw was a large supplier in the Strike Force Radius 'ice castle' drug investigation that has resulted in the arrest of almost 30 people.
He was sentenced in Tamworth Local Court on Friday after pleading guilty to a charge of supplying a large commercial quantity of ice and another of supplying firearms on an ongoing basis.
With time served, he will be eligible for parole in mid-2024.
'I'm very sorry for what I've done'
In a letter to the court, Hanshaw expressed remorse for his actions.
"I'm very sorry for what I've done," he said.
"I know I am responsible for violence … robberies. I am the gutless person that fuelled these plagues.
"I do not want to return to that world.
"I am now 51 years old and I am frankly burnt out."
In handing down his sentence, Judge Jonathan Williams said Hanshaw had genuinely accepted responsibility for his actions but he had introduced an extremely dangerous drug, methylamphetamine, and other drugs into a rural community.
He said Hanshaw's involvement in the drug operation was extensive and had involved numerous people.
'A street level dealer'
In his submissions, Hanshaw's barrister David McCallum described his client as a "hopeless addict" who dealt in drugs to continue to supply his own habit.
He submitted that his client was a street-level dealer and had supplied a commercial amount of the drug only to an undercover police officer.
He said the supply of firearms was only to "ingratiate" the undercover operative.
Mr McCallum also spoke of the hardships and social disadvantage Hanshaw had faced as a child and how he became involved in drug use from an early age.
He tendered supporting documents from family members.
DPP solicitor Cameron Reynolds told the court that while Hanshaw sold a large commercial quantity of drugs to an undercover police officer, his involvement in street-level drug dealing should be considered to be on a large scale.
The court heard Hanshaw dealt drugs to up to 40 people a day out of a South Tamworth unit.
"I submit that in May [2019] the offender was clearly a street-level dealer, but in my submission he was a street-level dealer that engaged in supply on a prolific scale," he told the court.
Mr Reynolds told the court, Hanshaw had supplied or agreed to supply a number of weapons to the undercover police officer.
"The weapons that were supplied were capable of inflicting lethal injuries in the community," he said.
"This course of conduct he voluntarily engaged in for financial gain."
