Man Gets 3 Month Sentence, Suspended For 2 Years After Facing Cocaine & Ganja Charges

By Alric Lindsay

Craig Sandor St Christopher Campbell, 52-year-old man with a clean record, narrowly avoided an immediate custodial sentence today, September 9, 2026, after appearing in Summary Court on Ganja and cocaine possession charges.

The court heard that on February 9, 2026, an individual turned in Campbell’s lost wallet to the police. Upon inspecting the wallet, officers discovered a white powdery substance resembling cocaine and vegetable matter resembling Ganja.

Defense attorney John Furniss told Magistrate McFarlane that his client discovered a small packet of cocaine while washing a vehicle and tucked it into his wallet, entirely forgetting it was there. Furniss emphasized that Campbell is a 52-year-old man with no prior convictions who does not have a chronic substance problem, pointing out that his client has never tested positive for cocaine.

Furniss noted that the charges carry severe professional consequences, stating that the immigration department is not looking favourably upon the matter and that Campbell will face immense difficulty renewing his work permit this coming December.

Magistrate McFarlane noted that the quantity of cocaine was fairly small, but reprimanded the defendant, saying, “You got yourself into a mess. A big mess.” She highlighted that the jurisdiction’s sentencing guidelines heavily weigh drug offences, stipulating that the starting point for such infractions is a custodial sentence.

However, taking the defence’s submissions into account, the Magistrate handed down a starting sentence of six months in prison, reducing it by one-third to three months in custody across all charges due to his early guilty plea. The total three-month custodial sentence was suspended for two years.

“I encourage you to seek some therapeutic support,” Magistrate McFarlane told Campbell, while ordering the forfeiture and destruction of the seized drugs.