Cairns crime: Cody Lee Trewin sentenced for drug trafficking at Trinity Park

A former roofer who ran an elaborate “drug shop” from his home at Trinity Park home has been sentenced to more than two years prison.

A former roofer who ran an elaborate “drug shop” from his home at Trinity Park home has been sentenced to more than two years prison.

Cody Lee Trewin, 29, pleaded guilty before Justice James Henry in the Cairns Supreme Court on Friday to trafficking drugs including acid tabs, mushrooms and cannabis in June and July 2022.

Crown prosecutor Emily Thambyah told the court Trewin came to the attention of police when officers attended a disturbance at a property on Vetiver St. A woman told police that she lived there with a man called Cody Knofke – police found no such name existed – but thought nothing of it, the court heard.

Cairns Supreme Court heard Cody Lee Trewin was selling mushrooms. Psilocybin or magic mushrooms are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. They are known as Shrooms, mushies, blue meanies, golden tops, liberty caps. Picture: file photo

A Samsung mobile found in Vetiver St was handed in to Smithfield police on July 20, 2022.

It had a message on it that read “cops just come lol, lied about your name, said you were Knofke, these c---- are gunna f---ing burn, tip rats”.

Phone messages indicated there was a supply of dangerous drugs at the property and police found Trewin, who lived at that address, had outstanding warrants on unrelated matters.

“Police intercepted a woman leaving the address, she said he was inside the house, he was hiding in the bedroom and was arrested in relation to outstanding warrants and resistance to police,” Ms Thambyah said.

Trinity Park man Cody Lee Trewin advertised on group chats on social messaging apps when his “shop” was open, with many of the transactions occurring at a Vetiver St address in Trinity Park, Cairns Supreme Court heard.

Trewin told police he owned the Samsung phone and that he sold drugs to about 20 friends.

“Police found numerous messages on the apps Telegram, Signal, Tinder and Snapchat relating to carrying on the business onselling the drugs,” Ms Thambyah said.

She said there were code names and different colours signifying different drugs.

“There was a customer base of at least 34 people, the Telegram group chat had 21 members and Signal had 10,” she said.

“He refers to the business as a shop, advising when he’s online and when closed, so in my submission it was a shop front,” Ms Thambyah said.

“It was clearly a sophisticated business with code words and encrypted communications.”

She said Trewin was “reloading” every two days and one text said “18 yesterday and ran that pack out in a matter of hours”.

But Trewin was upfront with police, Ms Thambyah said.

“He said he was on a delusional mission to try to be the guy for everything,” she said.

Ms Thambyah said the trafficking was commercially motivated

“You can say that again,” Justice Henry said.

Trewin told police he wanted out but couldn’t see how unless he was caught and he thanked police.

He sentenced Trewin to two years and six months prison with a parole release date of January 10, 2024.

Originally published as Cairns crime: Cody Lee Trewin sentenced for drug trafficking at Trinity Park