Meth and murder: 201 overdose deaths re-examined by detectives investigating the southern suburbs triple slayings

Hundreds of fatal drug overdoses in Adelaide are being reviewed by detectives to check if they were actually murders by drug dealers over unpaid debts.

The overdose deaths of 201 people are being reviewed to determine if they were genuine or were staged murders committed by a group of brutal drug dealers operating in the southern suburbs.

Senior police suspect the group is responsible for three murders over the past two years – and has most likely committed more that have not yet been discovered.

Major Crime Investigation Branch officer-in-charge Detective Superintendent Des Bray on Wednesday revealed one of those deaths – that of Trevor King, 41, – was a staged overdose that did not appear suspicious at the time.

The bodies of two other victims – Jeff Mundy, 36, and Robert Atkins, 31, – have not yet been recovered by detectives attached to the 42-strong Task Force Southern, which has been established to investigate the murders.

Detectives have revealed they have 15 individuals who are either firm suspects or persons of interest in the deaths and that five of them are already in custody.

Task Force Southern is investigating the deaths of Robert Atkins, Trevor King and Jeff Mundy. Artwork: Steve Grice

Each of the individuals and the victims are known to police through the drug scene – primarily methamphetamine trafficking and consumption – in the southern suburbs.

Police have stressed that a single individual is not responsible or directing others to conduct all the murders and that some of the group was likely involved in one murder but not the others.

“They are low to mid-level dealers and petty criminals who act like thugs and bullies,’’ Superintendent Bray said.

“While violence does happen in criminal communities, there seems to be a concentration of it with these drug dealers.

“Our suspects and the people involved in this are all part of the criminal community. There are no victims who are not, they are all most likely known to each other.’’

Of those 15 individuals, five are in custody after being charged with offences discovered during the investigation but not directly related to any of the three murders.

Numerous other individuals also have been charged with a variety of offences stemming from the investigation and remanded in custody “to ensure public safety’’.

Superintendent Bray said the 201 drug overdoses being reviewed as part of Task Force Southern had happened since July 1, 2019. They were a result of deaths from both illicit and prescription drugs.

Of the 201, 126 were male and 75 were female and none were aged under 18.

Although the drug overdoses happened across the metropolitan area, 72 in the southern suburbs will be prioritised for review.

“Because Trevor King was murdered with a hotshot, that has caused us to review the overdose deaths,’’ Superintendent Bray said.

“They will be reviewed firstly by the Coronial Investigations Section where those that require a more detailed look will be flagged and they will then come across to Major Crime to be allocated to investigators.’’

CCTV images of Robert Atkins (in blue) at BankSA, standing alongside one of the men who were forcing him to commit fraud the day before his death. Picture: Dean Martin

Police expect some of the overdose deaths will have been suicides, some may have been accidental overdoses and many will not be suspicious, but it is anticipated some may prove to have been staged murders.

“Given what we know now we think there is a possibility there may be additional deaths but we cannot be certain until we have done the review. We hope there are none,’’ Superintendent Bray said.

“The reality is we would not be reviewing all of those if we didn’t think there was a possibility of there being some. Whether that is none, one or more we don’t know.’’

Task Force leader detective Senior Sergeant Justin Thompson said the level of violence used by the group was extreme and was “not something you see everyday’’.

“But we believe the level of violence will actually encourage people to talk to us. People do not want to put up with this anymore,’’ he said.

“They have tried to develop a reputation for violence which they have then used to intimidate people to recover debts.

“People who owed them money, because of their circumstances, have then been forced to go and commit crime to pay them. The only way they can get the money to pay is to do something bad.’’

Police say Robert Atkins was transported in this Jeep, then killed in the Mid North.

Superintendent Bray would not be drawn on how many of the 15 suspects or persons of interest were actually involved in the three murders. Each of them would be investigated to determine their level of involvement.

“They are fluid groups of drug dealers. They might be working together today but in two weeks they have a fallout. It’s loose associations,’’ he said.

“All offenders and all victims are part of that methamphetamine scene and because they are concentrated in the southern suburbs, they will all be known directly or indirectly to one another.’’

Task Force Southern is one of the largest drawn together for an individual investigation for many years. It comprises 42 officers from Major Crime and other CIB units as well as intelligence officers.

“We have a definite investigation strategy that will see us over the next 12 months investigating these and any other murders that may be discovered during that process,’’ Superintendent Bray said.

“There is no doubt Task Force Southern is extremely well resourced and has a clear investigation strategy moving forward and we have positive lines of inquiry in relation to suspects for all murders.’’

He said there had been 41 calls to Crime Stoppers in relation to the activity in the southern suburbs since Mr Atkins’s case became public, and much of the information had been “valuable’’ for the investigators.

The large area in the Mid North where police believe Robert Atkins’ body was dumped.

“Sadly, it is a characteristic of the meth scene in that area and the subculture that exists within it,” Superintendent Bray said.

‘’They had become more brazen because they thought that by developing their persona of being violent thugs, people would not come forward.

“I think people will be scared but people have also had a gutful of these violent thugs and their activities down there.

“Debt collecting in the drug world goes on every day of the week but this is above and beyond the norm for the drug world.

“I have no doubt there will be a lot of people in the community down there who simply want these people out of the community because of the way they are acting.’’

He stressed if people were scared for their safety police would offer them protection.

“We are happy to help anybody who is in fear or being threatened. Lots of people know who the suspects are down there,’’ he said.

“We can help them, we can keep people safe and we do it all the time in our murder cases.’’