Father 'trafficked cannabis to support son's pro-cycling career'

A man jailed for drug trafficking said he did it to support his son's pro cycling career, even though the smuggling continued after the son's death.

Stanley Bruce Dajka, 55, pleaded guilty in the Adelaide District Court to the offences of trafficking an illicit substance, but said that his motivation was to aid the career of his son Jobie, who was a world champion.

Jobie received an AIS Junior Athlete of the Year award in 1999, and an Achievement Award in 2002 and 2003. He missed selection for the 2000 Olympic Games, but competed in the 2002 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, winning the Keirin.

But having been sent home from the 2004 pre-Olympic training camp, he became a heavy drinker, and received a three year ban following an assault on Martin Barras, the Australian national track coach.

He was found dead in his home by police on 7 April 2009, from an unknown but unsuspicious cause.

The court was told that between September 2009 and March 2010, Stanley sent 55 boxes of cannabis, labelled as 'extreme clothing', to Queensland in return for 171 parcels of cash, abc news in Australia reported.

He was jailed for three years and six months with a 16 month non-parole term.