SA man Kyle James Harris, caught with 1kg of meth and cash, insists he is a mere courier for ‘the real villains’ of the drug trade

A man caught with 1kg of drugs says he’s just a courier for shadowy figures. Prosecutors say his fleet of cars shows otherwise. Now a judge has weighed in.

A man caught with 1kg of meth and almost $200,000 cash was “just a courier for the real villains”, a court has heard – but prosecutors say his fleet of luxury cars suggests otherwise.

On Thursday, Kyle James Harris asked the District Court to sentence him on the basis he was involved in transporting drugs and cash around Adelaide, but not selling it for his own gain.

David Edwardson KC, for Harris, said his client had acted at the direction of people he did not know, and had never met, through an encrypted app that he did not name.

He conceded his client was caught a second time, while on bail, with another 500g of meth and $33,000 cash but said that, too, arose from instructions received “at arm’s length”.

“With all these sort of cases, there are figures who never see the light of day and who do not come to court … the real villains,” he said.

“My client was doing what he was told, and there would have been ongoing compliance with those instructions had it not been for the police intervening and arresting him.”

That submission sat poorly with Judge Paul Muscat.

“Those figures who courts rarely see must have trusted him to fulfil his role,” he said.

“Are we talking an outlaw motorcycle gang? If it’s that type of group, they would not trust anyone”

Harris was caught with 1kg of meth on his first arrest, and a further 500g on his second arrest. Picture: Stock image

Harris, 37, of Two Wells, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, possessing a controlled drug, and two counts of money laundering.

The charges arose from an SA Police traffic stop at Bolivar in July 2023, during which he was allegedly caught with 1kg of methylamphetamine and $190,000 cash.

Then, while on bail in January 2024, police searched Harris’ home and found a further 500g of the drug and $33,000 cash.

During sentencing submissions on Thursday, prosecutors urged Judge Muscat to treat Harris’ explanation for his offending with “some scepticism”.

They said that, in addition to the drugs and cash, police had found “a fleet” of luxury cars, worth a total of $170,000 at the property and registered in Harris’ name.

They said those cars included a BMW, an Audi, a VW Golf and a Mercedes Benz, all purchased during the course of 2023 and 2024.

They argued the “better and more palatable” explanation for Harris’ offending was that he was a “middle-level dealer” engaged in selling drugs “for his own financial gain”.

Judge Muscat agreed.

“I’m not prepared to sentence the defendant on the basis he was simply couriering the drugs and cash that police found in his possession,” he said.

Mr Edwardson said his client “will not be giving evidence” to argue otherwise.

Judge Muscat remanded Harris in custody for sentencing in November.