Elizabeth Vale teen Dylan Daniel Bradwell faces court charged with supplying drugs to children

A 13-year-old in the state’s care was unconscious for five hours after ingesting pills allegedly sold to him and other children as Xanax by an Elizabeth Vale teen, a court has heard.

SA’s child protection Minister says it was “devastating” to learn a child in state care had overdosed on fake Xanax tablets allegedly supplied by an Elizabeth Vale teen.

A 13-year-old boy living in a Child Protection Department facility was one of the three children who overdosed on dodgy Xanax tablets.

Child protection Minister Kathrine Hildyard said she would continue to seek assurances that the sick child received the support he needed.

“I have been assured by my Department that there are multiple support organisations involved with this child,” she said.

“On becoming Minister, I immediately commenced rigorously examining systems, procedures and processes to ensure that improvements are made with and for children in care, and have already commenced making change. My stringent focus on this work will absolutely continue.”

Dylan Daniel Bradwell, 18, on Wednesday faced the Elizabeth Magistrates Court by video link on charges of supplying a controlled drug to a child and trafficking a large commercial quantity of a controlled drug.

Mr Bradwell was arrested on Tuesday following a raid of an Elizabeth Vale home which unearthed 1400 ‘Xanax’ tablets, of which police allege the teen was responsible for.

The court heard the 13-year-old, who was unconscious for five hours, was one of three teens who overdosed on the “fake” Xanax pills.

The police prosecutor alleged a 15-year-old girl with links to the 13-year-old also overdosed on the drugs and had been taken to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.

They told the court another parent had reported her child had overdosed on pills police say are “possibly linked” to Mr Bradwell.

Police alleged while being marked Xanax the drugs were “fake” and actually contained “a variety of illicit substances”.

The prosecutor told the court Mr Bradwell’s mother’s house at Elizabeth Vale, where he was living, was raided yesterday and 1473 Xanax tablets were located in his bedroom along with $2765 cash.

He said parcels and packages of pills in lots of 10 and 20 tablets were seized.

Fake Xanax allegedly seized by police from Dylan Bradwell’s home. Pictures: SA Police

Fake Xanax allegedly seized by police from Dylan Bradwell’s home. Pictures: SA Police

Presiding magistrate Benjamin Sale was told Mr Bradwell made admissions about the drugs upon his arrest.

The court heard Mr Bradwell’s mother, who was present in court, had kicked her son out of her home and his home detention application would be to his grandfather’s house instead of hers.

Duty solicitor Vanessa Cream, for Mr Bradwell, made an application for simple or home detention based on his age and that he had no criminal history.

She submitted several phones had been seized from the DCP facility where children up to the age of 17 lived.

“My point is it’s a very different story, perhaps, whether someone’s handing out drugs at a school to 12-year-old children than perhaps whether someone presents to a person saying they’re of age,” Ms Cream said.

Mr Sale considered Ms Cream’s application but denied any form of bail for Mr Bradwell.

“The difficulty I have it he had a very large quantity of a drug he had no business having,” he said.

“He doesn’t deny making admissions, just whether they can be used against him.

“It would appear whether knowingly or otherwise these drugs are being distributed to people under age who are overdosing.

“I refuse bail on the extraordinary seriousness of the allegations.”

Mr Bradwell was remanded in court to reappear in August.