Casino croupier Leo Trinh jailed for becoming a drug ‘mule’ and then being busted with 4kg of Ice

A YOUNG casino croupier’s experimentation with cocaine led to a gun being held to his head as drug dealers forced him to become an interstate “drug mule” — earning him an eight-year prison sentence.

A YOUNG casino croupier’s experimentation with cocaine led to a gun being held to his head as drug dealers forced him to become an interstate “drug mule” — which has earned him an eight-year prison term.

Leo Trinh was caught with just under 4kg of high-purity methamphetamine, or ice, after police pulled his car over on the South Eastern Freeway in July 2016.

While police were initially unable to locate the drugs, contained in four packages, they seized the vehicle and found the substances stashed in “sophisticated hidden compartments”, District Court judge Sydney Tilmouth said.

Trinh, 25, had been working as a croupier at Sydney Casino when he began dabbling with cocaine two or three times a week.

But the recreational habit took a dark turn in mid-2015 when a large amount of cocaine was stolen from a friend’s home while Trinh was present, Judge Tilmouth said.

“The dealers who were owed money considered you to be responsible for the debt repayment,’’ he said.

“You allege that a gun was held to your head and your life was threatened.”

After Trinh lost contact with the friend who owned the house, he was left with the sole responsibility of repaying the drug dealers, the court heard.

“On your version, you essentially became a ‘drug mule’ by picking up and dropping off drugs when told to,” Judge Tilmouth said.

“You told the psychologist you were fearful of threats to your mother and friends if you did not co-operate.”

Judge Tilmouth said the methamphetamines were of “very high” 80 per cent purity and could have fetched anywhere between $320,000 and $700,000 depending on how it was sold at street level.

While accepting that Trinh was merely acting as a courier for those buying and selling the drugs, Judge Tilmouth said a hefty sentence was needed to deter others from being involved in the illicit drug trade.

Trinh had lost his licence at the time of his arrest and his car was being driven by a friend, the court heard.

Trinh, who studied medical nanotechnology and had a strong employment history, had been taking part in training courses in prison and was “making genuine attempts to put this unfortunate phase of your life behind you”, Judge Tilmouth said.

“You have worked hard to put the plague of drugs behind you and to qualify yourself to lead a drug-free existence in the future,” he said.

Trinh was handed a head sentence of eight years in prison, but Judge Tilmouth said he would impose a “merciful” non-parole period of four years and three months, backdated to his arrest in July 2016.