Police find dad’s meth stash during roadside stop with seven-year-old child in car

Police uncovered a 35-year-old Denmark methylamphetamine dealer’s stash during a random breath test while his seven-year-old son was in his car. Stephen Robert Burke was stopped by officers about 8pm on November 15 on Hollings Road in Denmark, the District Court of WA was told last month. During the stop, Burke returned a positive drug test, prompting officers to search the father of two’s Ford Falcon Sedan. Inside a tobacco pouch hidden under the driver’s seat, police found rolled clip seal bags containing the drug. “An examination identified a clip seal snack bag which contained approximately 1.82g, a blue-banded clip seal bag which contained approximately .94 of a gram, and a purple-banded clip seal bag which contained approximately 1.87g,” State prosecutor Sean O’Sullivan told the court. A green beanie inside an exposed driver’s seat cavity was also hiding electronic scales and a glass smoking pipe — with detectable traces of meth — while hundreds of dollars in cash was found in Burke’s wallet during the search. Burke admitted to police the pipe, scales and cash were his but denied owning the meth while being interviewed by officers at the Denmark Police Station that night. A search of his phone, however, found “evidence” of Burke offering to sell meth to other people. During a separate hearing in the Albany Magistrate’s Court last month, police prosecutor Sgt Alan Dean said Burke refused to give a blood sample at the Denmark Hospital after telling officers he had “a phobia of needles”. Burke avoided an immediate term of imprisonment after pleading guilty to possessing meth with intent to sell and supply. District Court Judge Wendy Gillan conditionally suspended the 18-month sentence she handed Burke, telling the court his abstinence from using the drug since his arrest was a significant factor. Judge Gillan also took into account that Burke had fallen into “financial ruin” after losing his earthmoving business, which led to him selling the drugs. Burke’s defence counsel Justin Podmore told the court his client was unable to work because he was severely injured after being struck by a car travelling at 100km/h last July. Judge Gillan told Burke it was “quite reprehensible” that he was driving his son around with meth in the car. “I see the end results of methylamphetamine on a daily basis,” she said. “I’ve got to say to you that while I accept you’re a low level of drug supply, and you weren’t taking a substantial profit from your supply of drugs, I can say to you that drug dealing is insidious and the small retail suppliers, like yourself, are very important to the whole of the distribution network.”