NSW: Wollongong man gets two years for drugs manufacture
21 Nov 2008 6:39 PMSYDNEY, Nov 21 AAP - A 62-year-old Wollongong businessman has been sentenced to a maximum of two years in jail for the large-scale manufacture of ecstasy, the Australian Customs Service says.
Dennis James Taylor pleaded guilty in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court to being knowingly concerned in the manufacture of a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.
The conviction stems from a customs operation in June 2003, when officers found six drums of the precursor chemicals methylamine and safrole when theyexamined a cargo container in Sydney.
The drums had been declared as a shipment of oil from China.
Taylor, the sole director of Wollongong company DJT Imports, was arrested after a raid on his home uncovered a secret drug laboratory.
Taylor was on Friday sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison in the district court, with a non-parole period of 12 months, customs said.
He will be due for release on October 11, 2009.
Customs national manager of investigations, Richard Janeczko, said the outcome sent a warning to others.
"This has been a long case for customs, running over several years, which has resulted in a successful prosecution outcome," he said in a statement.
"This jail term should serve as a severe warning to others who may be considering an attempt to bring illegal chemicals into Australia."
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