Disgraced former cop Thomas James Booker who ran dark web drug syndicate faces fresh child exploitation charges
A disgraced former cop who’s guilty of running a dark web drug syndicate has fronted court after fresh allegations of obtaining child exploitation material came to light.
Mount Gambier
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A former cop who pleaded guilty to running enormous dark-web drug syndicate has fronted court on fresh charges relating to obtaining child exploitation material.
Thomas James Booker, 27, appeared in the Mount Gambier Magistrates court by AVL from the Mount Gambier Prison after fresh allegations of obtaining child exploitation came to light.
It is unclear, whether the disgraced former cop will enter a guilty plea, however his defence lawyer Taylor Falting indicated the matter would likely be resolved at his next court appearance, a court has heard.
According to court documents Booker obtained abuse material on February 10 and April 19 2021.
Booker has already pleaded guilty to trafficking huge amounts of LSD and cocaine through dark web drug selling enterprise “Underline Cost”.
The man entered a plea bargain pleading guilty to 53 charges in exchange for seven being dropped.
The plea means that Booker will lose millions in assets frozen by the courts and will likely face a lengthy prison sentence for running the syndicate from his Adelaide apartment.
His frozen assets include $466,752 in bitcoin, $122,123.42 in Monero, $820,000 in cash $174,703 in bank accounts, a 1kg silver ingot and an extensive collection of luxury alcohol including an $1800 bottle of scotch.
Police have also frozen an apartment and Athol Park property owned by his girlfriend.
Those assets are likely to be forfeited to the Crown as the proceeds of drug crimes.
Police first caught wind of Booker when they intercepted a shipment of 8000 LSD tablets sent from the Netherlands to an Adelaide address.
When the accused came to pick up the package from a PO box it allowed police to dismantle the entire enterprise — leading to his November arrest.
Booker will join his two co-accused in court in August when they expected to be committed to the District Court.
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