A Gold Coast mother who was an integral link in a sophisticated operation sneaking illegal drugs into Tasmania via ferry will spend up to 15 years in jail.
Jacqueline Pauline Fiala, 50, was involved in trafficking 26kg of the drug ice, worth up to $26 million, on Spirit of Tasmania trips across Bass Strait.
She also helped import hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine into the island state, as well as ketamine, on 13 voyages between November 2019 and May 2021.
Fiala played a "very significant" role in the trafficking, including sourcing, weighing and packaging the drugs and recruiting "vulnerable" couriers.
"She was an integral link in the chain of distribution," Justice Stephen Estcourt said during sentencing on Friday in the Supreme Court of Tasmania.
"It was a sophisticated operation ... (and was) aimed at generating significant profit."
The drugs were primarily concealed in car tyres.
Fiala had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking, the second count relating to December 2021 when she was on bail after initially being charged.
Ice was found in her handbag and inside a caravan at Campania, north of Hobart, where she was living, after she was pulled over by police.
Justice Estcourt said Fiala initially got involved in trafficking to help her son pay a modest drug debt and was unable to extricate herself.
Some $148,000 cash was seized from her Gold Coast home but Justice Estcourt accepted there was no evidence of Fiala profiting from the trafficking.
He said most of the money from the operation flowed to a man named "Frank".
Justice Estcourt said Fiala suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was using drugs, including ice, on a daily basis when she was offending.
He said she had realistic prospects of rehabilitation and would have to sell her home to help pay a pecuniary penalty order.
Fiala, who wiped away tears during sentencing, will be eligible for parole after serving seven-and-a-half years behind bars.
The sentence has been backdated to December 2021, when she was taken into custody.
Justice Estcourt said the court received references from people who described shock when they learned Fiala was involved in trafficking.
