Man jailed over counterfeit scam

A 29-year-old Queensland man will spend at least four years in a Northern Territory jail for producing more than $80,000 in counterfeit money.

Justin Lee Bellas pleaded guilty in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to 74 Commonwealth and NT offences, including manufacturing and distributing counterfeit money, using stolen credit cards and producing and supplying methylamphetamine.

Bellas was arrested in Darwin in July last year with more than $12,000 in fake notes, as well as equipment for the production of methylamphetamine.

The court heard Bellas produced the money to support his drug addiction.

In court today Justice Sally Thomas sentenced Bellas to a total of seven-and-a-half years in jail on all the charges, with a non-parole period of four years.

Justice Thomas said the offences were calculated acts of criminality.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Fri, 17 Jun 2005
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia Web)
Copyright: 2005 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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