Trent Richard Stevens, 31, of Bookham, appeared before Goulburn Local Court on May 26.

He faced charges of take part in supply of cannabis indictable and commercial quality, take part in supply of a prohibited drug indictable and commercial quantity and supply firearm to a person unauthorised to possess it.

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The charges related to a police investigation into the Queanbeyan drug trade last year. Stevens and co-accused Tara Stephens-Biles, 30, were convicted for their involvement in a drug operation using hired vehicles to transport cannabis and methamphetamine, known as 'ice' or 'meth', from Sydney to Queanbeyan.

Solicitor Tracey Annan told the court Stevens was "not the mastermind behind the offence".

"He was not charged with participation in a criminal group, merely going along with the co-accused," she said.

"In return for travelling in the car with [Stephens-Biles], he would get ice for his personal use."

Ms Annan said her client started to use meth on a regular basis after his twin girls died at birth in August 2018.

"In his younger years he was hard working and had positive peers," she said.

She told the court that Stevens had "the support of his entire family".

Magistrate Geraldine Beattie presented that on July 25, 2020 Stevens was contacted about a firearm for sale - described as 22, new, clean, unregistered - for $500. She said Stevens then contacted another person about the gun, who transferred $500 into his bank account. The court heard that the defendant then withdrew the money from an ATM, picked up the gun and drove to drop it off at a property in Yass.

The magistrate said police had conducted two searches of the Yass property, but as of September 2020 the firearm had not been recovered.

She said the firearm still at large was a significant factor in sentencing.

Ms Annan argued Stevens was "almost the middle man" in selling the gun.

"Someone else contacted him," she said.

"Stevens made full admissions to police about the firearm."

Magistrate Beattie told the court a Sentencing Assessment Report prepared by Corrective Services showed a "lack of insight into the effects of drugs in the community".

"Drug supply has a huge impact on the community, what people do to get them, pay for them, and trade for them," she said.

"You got involved in this to fund your drug habit."

A 30 per cent discount was applied to Stevens' sentence for his early guilty plea and witness testimony against a third party.

He was sentenced to 14 months full-time custody with a nine-month non-parole period.

Stephens-Biles received an aggregate sentence of 27 months in full-time custody.

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