A baby-faced actor who appeared on a popular Channel Seven series has been sentenced to prison over his role in the importation of methamphetamines into Australia from China.
Jarin Towney, who played Cooper on Packed to the Rafters between 2012 – 2013, was sentenced to six years and nine months imprisonment on Tuesday at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney.
His sentence has been backdated to July 19, with a non-parole period of three years and four months.
He was also charged with possessing a shipment of meth with a street value of $12.5million, linked to the international smuggling ring thwarted by the Australian Federal Police.
Last year, Towney was arrested for possessing 62kg of the illicit substance, which Chinese authorities found hidden inside a machine.
The Chinese police replaced the meth with a harmless substitute and notified the Australian authorities, who used the information to nab Towney.
Baby-faced actor Jarin Towney, who appeared on the popular Channel Seven series Packed to the Rafters, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term over his role in the importation of a 112kg of methamphetamines into Australia
Towney, who was told he would be paid $50,000 for receiving and unpacking the drugs, was charged over the importation and possession of a commercial quantity of methamphetamines on two separate occasions last year in Sydney.
He was ordered to purchase a cheap burner phone and relevant equipment, including face masks, a hazmat suit, buckets and scales, to safely unpack the drugs.
Towney’s Sydney house was also raided and police found 67.5g of cocaine and 26.1g of MDMA, with a street value of $29,000.
On Tuesday, Towney pleaded guilty to possessing a commercial quantity of the border controlled drug and two counts of deemed supply of a traffickable quantity of meth.
Judge Penelope Hock admitted there were mitigating circumstances in Towney’s favour, including a history of mental illness, complex post traumatic stress disorder and severe alcohol and stimulant use disorders at the time of offending.
She also noted Towney had not touched drugs since his arrest, provided a letter of letter to the court and seemed genuine about wanting to turn his life around.
‘Provided he remains drug free, he has a low likelihood of reoffending and very good prospects of rehabilitation,’ Judge Hock told the court.
She added it was also in Towney’s favour that his overall role in the scheme was ‘low level’ and ‘limited to two weeks’.
Jarin Towney, 25, was sentenced on Tuesday at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney over his role in the crime. (Pictured: A police officer arresting Towney in 2023)
The Australian Federal Police initially charged Towney last year over a major drug ring involving the attempted importation of 112kg of the banned substance.
The illicit haul was hidden inside commercial machinery and arrived at the Port of Melbourne on July 5, 2023.
Authorities allege the shipment was collected by a Melbourne logistics company and transported to a factory in the southwest Sydney suburb of Yagoona on July 18.
The next day the AFP swooped in, executing search warrants at both the factory and a residence in Surry Hills in Sydney.
Their raid uncovered more damning evidence – a disused drug lab tucked inside the factory.
This was alongside equipment believed to have been used for drug manufacturing.
This latest charge marks a troubling chapter for the troubled actor, whose career has been overshadowed by a string of both minor and major offences.
The Australian Federal Police initially charged Towney last year over a major drug ring involving the attempted importation of 112kg of the banned substance. Pictured: the ‘drug lab’ found in Surry Hills
In May last year, Towney escaped conviction for riding a motorbike while his licence was suspended.
Back in 2022, he was convicted in a Sydney court for using spray paint to write graffiti at a Sydney train station.
He was given a $300 fine, sentenced to a 30-month Community Corrective Order and warned to stay on his best behaviour.
Prior to that, he was charged with trespassing, offensive behaviour and hindering police.
It is a huge fall from grace for the former child star who acted alongside Sam Worthington in the 2016 Mel Gibson movie Hacksaw Ridge.
The former actor was once seen as one of Australia’s most brightest future talents, appearing alongside Essie Davis in an episode of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
The former actor was once seen as one of Australia’s most brightest future talents, appearing alongside Essie Davis in an episode of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
In 2015, Towney was nominated for Most Outstanding New Talent at the now defunct ASTRA Awards.
He also appeared in three episodes of the Australian crime drama Underbelly, which is based on the real life criminal activities of Aussie gangsters.
His final role was in the 2020 Australian movie Chasing Wonders, opposite Blade Runner actor Edward James Olmos.
Towney had since retired from acting and was work in a retail shop in Sydney, at the time of his arrest last year.
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