Accused drug-trafficking teen's emotional court outburst

A teenager broke down in tears, rocking back and forth and clasping his face as he was refused bail on drug trafficking charges likened to 'organised crime'.

POLICE BUST: Emilio Joubert, 18, was refused bail on serious drug trafficking charges after he was alleged to have imported about 500 grams of MDMA through Australia Post.

A TEENAGER broke down in tears, rocking back and forth and clasping his face as he was refused bail on drug trafficking charges likened to "organised crime".

Emilio Joubert is accused of importing more than 500g of MDMA in two separate packages from Germany and Holland, addressed to another man and his Coolum Beach PO Box.

The Maroochydore Magistrates Court today heard on December 11 police intercepted and seized the first package which contained more than 200g of the party drug.

Mr Joubert was arrested Tuesday after he collected the second package, which police had intercepted before it arrived and swapped out 276g of crystal ecstasy for sugar.

The combined street value of both packages was about $200,000.

Sunshine Coast detectives charged three people with drug offences after intercepting packages with drugs concealed.

The court heard when police searched Mr Joubert's family home they found circumstantial evidence of alleged commercial activity right under his parents' noses.

Mr Joubert was not employed, but police say they found $3500 in cash and Bitcoin to the value of at least $4920.

They also found a vacuum sealer, a roll of plastic to use in that machine, a recent receipt for $5000 worth of jewellery, eight parcel labels and an MDMA purity testing kit which had three vials missing.

Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin said this circumstantially suggested drugs had been tested for their purity on three occasions.

Police also seized Mr Joubert's phone and found messages indicating transfers of Bitcoins and currencies, and encrypted messages about drugs in Wickr and Snapchat.

Sunshine Coast detectives charged three people with drug offences after intercepting packages with drugs concealed.

Defence lawyer Mark Gregory of McCormick Lawyers told the court his client was "naive" and a "very immature young man", rather than the "Mr Big" organiser the prosecution's bail objection had suggested.

"It would be no surprise to me if he was a small player pawn in something larger," Mr Gregory said.

The court heard Mr Joubert and the other man, whose name and post office box was linked to the packages, had both "pointed the finger" at each other for the offences.

"Any suggestion that your client might have been set up or just been innocent person going and doing a favour for (name redacted) is undermined by what the police then found when they searched your client's residence... and phone," Mr McLaughlin said.

Mr Gregory told the court if Mr Joubert was released on bail, his father would act as a "better jailer" than any in Queensland suggesting "the most draconian bail conditions" be placed upon his son.

"I am astounded by that suggestion given all that property was found at the house where he was living with his father," Mr McLaughlin said.

Mr McLaughlin did not suggest Mr Joubert's family "were on trial" or had done anything wrong.

Mr Joubert's father, who is a Sunshine Coast dentist, his mother and brother were in court throughout the bail application.

Mr Joubert faces two charges of importing border controlled drugs, two possess property suspected of having been used in connection with the commission of a drug offence, possessing dangerous drugs schedule 1 drug quantity of or exceeding schedule 4, and possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence under drugs misuse act.

Emilio Joubert, 18, was refused bail on serious drug trafficking charges after he was alleged to have imported about 500 grams of MDMA through Australia Post.

Mr Gregory told the court a teary Mr Joubert would allow police to search his home every day if he were released on bail.

He told the court Tuesday night was the first night Mr Joubert had spent behind bars.

Mr McLaughlin denied bail on grounds Mr Joubert was a real risk to the community and of re-offending, and he did not believe any conditions would make him stop.

Mr Joubert's cries could still be heard as he left the courtroom after he learned he would be held on remand for months.

He is required via videolink for committal hearing in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on March 1 next year.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Rebecca Lambert told the court the arrest came after a protracted police investigation, which placed Mr Joubert's alleged offending between July 18-December 18 this year.