Blake Thompson pleads guilty to 89 counts of drug trafficking after massive drug bust in Adelaide’s south
For months a kingpin and his eight alleged “sub dealers” were running an elaborate drug syndicate undetected. See how it all came crashing down.
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A main player in a southern suburbs drug syndicate was exposed after police uncovered close to $200,000 of meth and his extravagant lifestyle.
Blake Eric Thompson’s enterprise came crashing down after the major drug sting led to the arrest of several men.
A prosecutor told the District Court Thompson, 36, was selling significant amounts of methamphetamine between June to November last year.
“It was quite clear that he knew his purchasers were also onselling the drug to other people,” the prosecutor said.
The court heard over $150,000 was found at Thompson’s home address, as well as signs of wealth including a sauna, a caravan, motorcycles and the fact his children were enrolled in a private school – despite Thompson being unemployed.
“It is ongoing, it is systematic and it is consistent sales of methamphetamine purely for commercial gain,” the prosecutor said.
Thompson, of Aldinga Beach, pleaded guilty to 88 counts of drug trafficking and one count of commercial drug trafficking, consisting of 993g of methamphetamine.
Thompson’s “sub dealers” within the enterprise are alleged to be David Gregory Randell, 38, Daniel Luke Turbill, 46, Umar Ali Ubrahim, 39, Mark Anthony Spakianos, 48, Nathaniel Grahame Dunk, 35, and Kenan-Salih Kopic, 35.
Their co-accused, Robert Spencer, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking, while Brenton Robin Sims, 54, pleaded guilty to five counts.
The court previously heard the men would allegedly collect the drugs directly from Mr Thompson or from the ‘stash house’ at Huntfield Heights.
Serious and organised crime branch police arrested the men on November 24 and 25 as part of an investigation into drug distribution across Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
A search at properties in Sellicks Beach, Modbury North, Windsor Gardens and Holden Hill allegedly led to discoveries of methamphetamine, 100 grams of cocaine, five kilograms of pseudoephedrine, one kilogram of iodine, two litres of hypo-phosphorous acid and a clandestine lab.
As a result, Mr Ubrahim, of Sellicks Beach, was arrested.
Police also searched properties at Morphett Vale and Hackham.
Mr Dunk, of Morphett Vale, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after $8000 cash was allegedly found.
Mr Kopic, of Windsor Gardens, and Mr Randell, of Port Noarlunga South, were arrested at Hackham shopping centre and charged with drug trafficking, after they were allegedly found with one kilogram of methamphetamine.
They are charged with one count of drug trafficking, while the rest of the group face multiple drug trafficking charges.
Sims and Spencer will face the District Court for arraignment in November, while the remaining men, who are yet to enter pleas, will face court again in December.
David Edwardson KC, for Thompson, told the District Court on Tuesday the father-of-three has had time to reflect while in custody and was remorseful for his offending.
“He’s going to miss some very, very important years of his daughter’s lives as a consequence of this offending,” he said.
Mr Edwardson said Thompson wasn’t a drug addict and agreed he was selling primarily for profit, however he wasn’t at the “top of the tree”.
Judge Joanne Tracey will sentence Thompson later this month.
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