Chad Christou sentenced for commercial drug trafficking after Walkerville hotel raid

A Jehovah’s Witness who rebelled against his religion has been jailed after he turned to running his drug dealing enterprise from a hotel room.

A former Jehovah’s Witness who rebelled against his religion will be behind bars for a long time after he was caught drug dealing from a hotel room.

Chad Peter Christou, 37, was jailed for six years after he was motivated by profit during his commercial enterprise.

During sentencing, the District Court heard police attended Christou’s and his partner Sanja Parenta’s Greenwith house on October 13, 2020.

They found a loaded rifle in the carport, ammunition, tick lists and three bottles of GBH, also known as fantasy.

The court heard the 1.37kg of fantasy was valued up to $6850.

Chad Christou pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm. Photo: Courts SA

Some of the ammunition found. Photo: Courts SA

Police re-attended the house the following day and neither Christou or Ms Parenta were present again.

Chad Christou and Sanja Parenta were found in the hotel. Picture: Facebook

Christou used his credit card at the Walkers Arm Hotel on October 16, 2020, leading police to attend and search their hotel room two days later.

“You had been contacted by phone and initially refused to surrender, but did so after 12 minutes of negotiation,” Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said.

The court heard 4.36kg of fantasy located at the hotel was valued at up to $21,800 if sold by the ml.

Police also found numerous tick lists, six mobile phones, as well as methamphetamine and Suboxone strips in Christou’s underwear.

A tick list found. Photo: Courts SA

Some of the drugs found. Photo: Courts SA

Chad Christou pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. Photo: Courts SA

The Greenwith father-of-two pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm, commercial drug trafficking and large commercial drug trafficking.

Ms Parenta’s three drug trafficking charges were dropped on the first day of trial in February.

Charges against Sanja Parenta were dropped. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Christou’s parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses and he began to rebel against his strict upbringing and religion at 12, turning to drugs and alcohol.

The court heard Christou said he always kept weapons near him for his safety.

“You usually kept the firearm buried for safekeeping,” Judge Sutcliffe said.

“Before your arrest you had a disagreement with someone, and you dug it up and kept it near you for protection.”

The court heard Christou had been attacked and rendered unconscious while in custody.

Judge Sutcliffe said Christou had been motivated by profit, evident by the tick lists and the large quantities of drugs found.

“Your intention was to supply the drugs to other smaller drug dealers at a lower rate than the street value, so you fall to be sentenced as a mid-level dealer,” she said.

Judge Sutcliffe sentenced Christou to six years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of five years and one month.

The sentence was backdated to February 12, 2021.