Ali Alzuain busted after multiple meth deals with undercover cop introduced by family member

He was caught with drugs hidden in his bumper bar but it was selling to an undercover cop introduced to him by family that undid this “serious repeat offender”.

An ageing drug dealer was busted selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer, introduced to him by a family member.

The Adelaide District Court on Monday heard Ali Alzuain, 60, had five mobile phones to sell drugs and operated in circles with other dealers.

Stephanie Moore, for the prosecution, told the court Alzuain was caught with drugs in the Yatala Labour Prison carpark in August, 2019.

Alzuain was then busted in an undercover police operation.

“The defendant sold methamphetamine to undercover police officers on five occasions between November 2020 and January 2021,” Ms Moore said.

“The quantity range was between 0.23g and up to 3.39g.”

Text messages from Alzuain’s five mobile phones revealed that he was discussing supplying drugs to people in various quantities.

Ms Moore said the diverse quantities meant it was hard to establish what Alzuain’s position in the drug hierarchy was.

“The defendant clearly has connections to other drug dealers, as evidence from a person called ‘Con’, who provides the defendant’s phone number to the undercover police officer,” Ms Moore said.

“It’s evident that he operates in a circle with other drug dealers and they assist each other in the process of selling methamphetamine.”

Ali Alzuain had previously pleaded guilty to multiple counts of drug trafficking. Picture: Facebook

Alzuain, of Brompton, had previously pleaded guilty to multiple counts of drug trafficking.

He has been in custody since March.

The court previously heard a member of Alzuain’s family had introduced the undercover police officer, to whom he had sold the drugs to.

Ms Moore said Alzuain was not someone who was at the lowest level of street dealing.

“He has the capacity to sell in larger quantities, almost 3.5g, which signifies a much larger selling capacity,” she said.

The court heard Alzuain was placed on bail after his first offence and had been engaging in rehabilitation services for his drug addiction.

“However unfortunately he was still trafficking methamphetamine in January of this year to undercover police officers,” Ms Moore said.

Stephen Ey, for Alzuain, told the court that when Alzuain was caught with drugs in August, 2019 he hadn’t been planning to smuggle them into jail.

“He was observed at the front of his car at the bumper bar secreting the drugs so that supports the contention he certainly wasn’t intending to take them into the jail,” he said.

Mr Ey said that while Alzuain was classified as a “serious repeat offender”, exceptional circumstances existed to not sentence him as one.

Judge Simon Stretton adjourned the charges until February to hear the exceptional circumstances.