Footy player who smuggled $2.2M worth of meth into Australia after falling into debt following a motorbike crash in Bali is jailed for 11 years

  • Jai Stephen Drake jailed for 11 years for smuggling 19kg of meth into Australia  
  • Court heard Drake trafficked the drugs to help pay off $40,000 in medical debts 
  • Drake, sentenced Tuesday, suffered brain injuries in 2016 Bali motorcycle crash 

By Brett Lackey For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 22:11 EST, 6 November 2018 | Updated: 22:11 EST, 6 November 2018

A man who smuggled over 19 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia worth $2.2 million to pay off his debts following a motorcycle crash in Bali has been jailed for 11 years. 

Jai Stephen Drake was paid $30,000 to smuggle the drug on a flight into Perth airport in March this year, The West Australian reported.

The court heard Drake, who was a talented rugby league player in his youth, agreed to traffic the drugs to help pay off $40,000 in debts he accrued after being in a motorcycle crash in Bali in August 2016. 

Jai Stephen Drake (pictured left) was paid $30,000 to smuggle over 19 kilograms of methamphetamine on a flight into Perth airport in March this year. There is no suggestion the woman pictured had any involvement in or knowledge of the smuggling

Jai Stephen Drake (pictured left) was paid $30,000 to smuggle over 19 kilograms of methamphetamine on a flight into Perth airport in March this year. There is no suggestion the woman pictured had any involvement in or knowledge of the smuggling

Drake flew business class to Perth, had made it through security, and was walking towards the airport exit when police stopped him and searched his luggage.

Officers found 20 sealed packages labelled as refined Chinese tea which contained meth that was tested to be between 80 and 84 per cent pure.

Judge Laurie Levy took into account when sentencing Drake in District Court on Tuesday that the motorcycle accident had cause him a brain injury, affected his ability to reason, and had directly resulted in the offending.

At the time of the accident Drake was treated in Bali and then flown to a Sydney hospital where he underwent brain surgery.

His defence lawyer, David Edwardson, told the court Drake was duped into trafficking the drugs at a vulnerable period where he was under mental and financial stress.

'One can see how vulnerable he was and how he was used in an opportunistic way by others to effectively be a mule,' he said.

The court also heard Drake had bought the ticket to Perth using a fake drivers' licence under the name Chris Russell.

Drake was jailed for four offences, including possessing meth with intent to sell or supply.

He will be eligible for parole after serving nine years. 

Drake flew business class to Perth, had made it through security, and was walking towards the airport exit when police stopped him and searched his luggage. There is no suggestion the man pictured had any involvement in or knowledge of the smuggling

Drake flew business class to Perth, had made it through security, and was walking towards the airport exit when police stopped him and searched his luggage. There is no suggestion the man pictured had any involvement in or knowledge of the smuggling

 

 

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Footy player who smuggled $2.2M worth of meth into Australia jailed for 11 years

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