A former Canberra public servant with top secret security clearance who was driven by family illness and mounting financial pressures to moonlight as a drug trafficker has avoided time behind bars.
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A judge said Joel Andrew Lemmon, 26, racked up $100,000 in debts he had no money to repay when he acted as a "facilitator" in sourcing ice, MDMA and cocaine for his childhood school friend to peddle over several months in 2016.
Their illegal money-making ploy fell apart when Robert James Masling, 27, was caught red-handed selling the drugs to an undercover cop.
Police pounced on the pair last October during raids of properties in Amaroo and Kaleen triggered by a long-running investigation into an illegal drug syndicate operating in the ACT.
Lemmon and Masling were each charged in the ACT Magistrates Court with drug trafficking offences stemming from a string of alleged drug transactions between August and October.
Prosecutors said the "inexperienced" pair were leading double lives in the months before they were arrested in the undercover sting, hoodwinking members of their extended families who had no idea they were trafficking drugs.
ACT Policing said in a statement at the time officers seized drugs with a potential street value up to $700,000, three cars, six firearms, ammunition, a banned weapon and $5500 as proceeds of crime as part of a broader investigation spanning 10 months.
Lemmon pleaded guilty to drug supply and numerous drug trafficking offences in November. Masling has also pleaded guilty.
A previous court hearing was told Lemmon worked for the Finance Department for four years and had top-secret security clearance.
In sentencing Lemmon on Wednesday, Justice John Burns accepted he was under significant financial and personal stress at the time after his wife had experienced serious health problems following the birth of the couple's first child.
"That, of course, does not justify your involvement in these offences. But it gives context to the offending, making it clear this was a very unusual series of events you were under that led you to commit these offences."
The court heard Lemmon's wife knew what he was doing but didn't know the extent of his activities.
A pre-sentence report author said there was a low risk Lemmon, who otherwise had a clean criminal record, would reoffend and he had good prospects for rehabilitation.
The court was told he had sought help for a long-standing drug habit - he had been using cocaine daily when he was arrested - and hadn't used illicit substances since his arrest.
Justice Burns said references before the court indicated Lemmon was a hard-working, caring and compassionate family man whose crimes were "completely out character".
The Crown submitted the offences were serious, involving numerous transactions and, in some cases, a substantial amount of drugs. They urged he spend time behind bars.
But Justice Burns recorded convictions and handed Lemmon a suspended sentence of two years and 10 months, taking into account 51 days spent in custody after his arrest.
He was ordered to serve a three-year good behaviour order.
Justice Burns warned any breach of that order could land him in prison and encouraged him to continue with his rehabilitation.
"You'll appreciate, Mr Lemmon, you've come very close to serving a term of full-time imprisonment," he said.
Masling will be sentenced in May.
