Samuel Joseph Topia, 40, was granted bail despite facing charges for selling $700,000 worth of cannabis seeds online. Topia was warned against breaking his bail conditions, which include not consuming cannabis and not promoting its sale.
A man accused of selling $700,000 worth of cannabis seeds online has been granted bail and warned it would be 'pure stupidity' to break his strict release conditions. Samuel Joseph Topia, 40, appeared in Brisbane Supreme Court today via videolink and represented himself in his bail application. Topia was charged on August 19, 2024 with cannabis production, possession, supply, importation and trafficking at a farming property outside Kingaroy, west of Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
Prosecutors alleged Topia had been running an online business offering sales of 285 types of cannabis seeds and had 1800 packages ready to fulfil orders. Justice Melanie Hindman asked Topia why she should grant him bail when he had previously been convicted of similar offending at the same farm in April 2023. 'It looks like what you do is immediately go back and start doing the exact same thing that just got you into trouble,' Justice Hindman said.'In the past I was misled over certain regulations I was entitled to under the research I had done,' Topia said. Justice Hindman said Topia must have known after he was convicted that he could not continue the research he claimed to be doing on an illegal plant.'That might have washed, perhaps, back in 2023, but surely the inference I make now is you thought, 'bugger it, I'll just keep doing it',' Justice Hindman said.'I definitely can't do a life of this,' he said. The crown prosecutor opposed bail, claiming Topia presented an unacceptable risk of committing further offences with an 'insidious' effect of increasing cannabis production in the community. Justice Hindman granted Topia bail on the condition he not consume cannabis even in medicinal form and not promote the sale of cannabis on his website. 'The police will be watching very closely .
Cannabis Seeds Online Sales Bail Illegal Drug Trafficking
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