To most people 1,4-Butanediol is a little known industrial solvent. To those who consume it, it's a depressant that the liver turns into GHB.
For Luke John Cintolo, it's the reason he's spending at least two years behind bars.
Police found nearly 10 kilograms of the chemical in bottles stuffed in a suitcase at the foot of his bed in January this year.
Suspicions had been raised when he was stopped several suburbs away at Carnegie and found to have a small bottle of the drug and two MDMA pills in his car.
Cintolo admitted the drugs in the car were his, but denied the two bottles of the chemical in his bedroom were his.
He claimed other people had keys to his apartment and that he hadn't been home in days.
Cintolo did admit being a user of 1,4-Butanediol, telling police he was weaning himself off it bit by bit.
County Court Judge Scott Johns said in all he had 9.8kg of the drug - nearly five times the 2kg that is considered a commercial amount for trafficking.
He said trafficking of the drug didn't have a large commercial benefit compared to other illicit substances, finding Cintolo's motive was his addiction to the substance rather than profit.
He said Cintolo had prior convictions for possession and trafficking of drugs, but this would be his most significant period behind bars.
He ordered Cintolo serve at least two years of a three-and-a-half year prison sentence before he's eligible for parole.
Australian Associated Press
