Man who allegedly said a ‘pill god’ was smiling on him now charged with trafficking in 10,000 ecstasy tablets
A man who allegedly said a “pill god” was looking out for him when he avoided arrest has had two houses and thousands in cash restrained.
SA News
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A man linked to Operation Ironside and accused of pressing 10,000 ecstasy tablets for two other men has had two houses, tens of thousands of dollars in cash and a Mercedes Benz restrained by the Supreme Court.
The 35-year-old man, whose name is suppressed to protect the integrity of potential trials, is accused of running the pill-pressing operation at several locations earlier this year.
Court documents lodged by the Director of Public Prosecutions, in an application to restrain the man’s property, outline the allegations against him.
The man is accused of being an AN0M app user who was in contact with Roman Baftiroski and Nathan Ralph, who each have been charged with trafficking large commercial quantities of controlled drugs.
As part of the communications, police allege Mr Ralph and Mr Baftiroski were supplying the man with MDMA powder to press into pills for sale.
The court documents also allege 10,000 ecstasy pills linked to the man were found hidden in a van belonging to a co-accused on June 7.
Police were called to a Seaton address in response to a noise complaint on April 24 this year.
Officers said they spoke to a man matching the accused’s description. There was a white van in the driveway matching a similar vehicle owned by the man.
The documents allege the man turned down the music and police left but a short time later he sent messages to Mr Baftiroski.
“Just had cops jump the fence,” the man allegedly wrote. “All good though, they had a noise complaint from a neighbour, I said ‘OK, I’ll switch everything off’, then they left.
“Then I packed up everything into the van and I left, never to return. But the way it happened was so lucky for me. I think I have a pill god looking out for me.”
The man is accused of relocating the pill-pressing operation to a nearby business.
When both the house and the business were raided by police in July this year, officers found powder alleged to be MDMA remnants on several surfaces.
The man was arrested on June 7 as part of Operation Ironside resolution day. Officers found two loaded handguns in the front of his car as well as a taser.
The man has since pleaded guilty to those charges. Court documents show the DPP applied to have three properties belonging to the man restrained.
Justice Greg Parker on Friday ordered the man’s interest in two of the three properties in the northern suburbs be restrained.
He owned only a fifth of one of the houses with his wife holding the rest of the interest in the property.
The DPP also moved to restrain a black 2006 Mercedes Benz sedan, a grey 2017 Toyota Prado and a black 2008 Harley Davidson.
Justice Parker only made an order restraining the Mercedes Benz, which has yet to be found by police.
Additionally, police asked the court to restrain several bank accounts and a line of credit extended to the man so he could pay the rent on a commercial premises.
Justice Parker made the order, freezing $19,082.51 in three accounts and $13,385.72 in credit from Bank SA.
The man will return to court later this year.
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