Smuggle methylamphetamine from Canberra to Darwin to resell for an easy profit on the more lucrative Northern Territory drugs market, it has been revealed in the ACT Supreme Court.

Nathan Gerhard Himbert, 24, would sew a small amount of ice into his underwear to conduct a test run.

Then, if successful, he would act as a drug mule to ship larger quantities in the future.

Himbert thought through prices, how to sell it, the success of others who transported drugs in their underwear, the likelihood of encountering sniffer dogs, and the option of travelling with the drugs in his anus.

But he did not consider that the police had been watching, listening, and waiting the whole time. Himbert was arrested at Canberra Airport as he waited to board a flight to Darwin via Sydney in October 2012.

A police search located a clip-seal plastic bag containing methylamphetamine in his underwear.

Himbert claimed the drugs had been for his own use, but was found guilty by an ACT Supreme Court judge of trafficking 2.185 grams of ice.

The trial heard covert police recordings of Himbert planning the shipment, which included the ploy to sew the drugs into his underwear for the trial flight.

"If I think it's safe enough to sort of travel with a bit more, I'll do it next weekend or the weekend after," the covert recordings caught him saying.

But Himbert continued to claim the drugs had been for personal use during an interview for a presentence report author before he was sentenced.

Justice John Burns said this showed Himbert had little remorse for the offence.

The judge said this lie had been untenable as covert surveillance captured Himbert discussing the plan to conduct the test run, with the intention to traffic larger quantities if the trip was a success.

The presentence report author rated the offender as a medium risk of reoffending.

In handing down sentence on Friday, Justice Burns said Himbert had not been a drug addict, but had debts and intended to move to Queensland at the time of the offence.

The judge said the offender had involved a great deal of planning.

"It was a well-planned criminal enterprise conducted purely for financial gain," Justice Burns said.

The court heard Himbert had a minor criminal history and had not committed any further crimes since the offence.

He also no longer associated with his former peers or his former partner, whom he described as a drug user.

Although Justice Burns noted the former partner could be heard on the police taps attempting to talk Himbert out of the drug run.

Justice John Burns sentenced Himbert to 20 months jail, to be served as one year of weekend detention, with the final eight months suspended upon entering a two-year good behaviour order.

"You have come very close to serving a term of full-time imprisonment," he said.

"Let me make it very clear, if you do not comply with that sentence, you should expect to serve a proportion ... of it by way of full-time imprisonment."