Joel Gross sentenced after federal police uncover international cocaine operation

The details of how a Torquay tradie’s dark web cocaine importing scheme unravelled have been revealed, as a magistrate spared him a jail term.

A Torquay man who imported cocaine from Europe by using cryptocurrency on the dark web has avoided jail for his crimes.

Carpenter Joel Gross, 33, imported about $5000 worth of cocaine, and the powerful hallucinogenic drug DMT, from the Netherlands and Great Britain between August 2019 and April 2020, the Geelong Magistrates’ Court was told on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Rebekah Fleming said Gross used the Tor browser on his computer to access the Empire marketplace on the dark web, where he used the cryptocurrency Bitcoin to import cocaine via the post on seven occasions in amounts between 1g and 3g. 

“(Gross) was aware that cocaine was being sent to him from outside of Australia,” Ms Fleming said.

Torquay man Joel Gross sentenced in the Geelong Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. Credit: Samara Traczyk/Facebook

The court heard that on February 18, 2020 an officer from a police task force, responsible for detecting organised crime, tested 3g of white powder contained in a package addressed to Gross.

The substance tested at the Torquay post office returned a positive result for cocaine.

Ms Fleming said Gross was sent a package from Germany on February 24, 2020 that contained 3g of the hallucinogenic drug DMT.

She said police searched Gross’s home on May 5, 2020 and found two spring-action imitation guns, lists of parcel tracking numbers, a credit card knife, and a phone containing messages talking about drug selling.

One SMS exchange between Gross and a contact named “Parka new” read:

“Parka new: What’s doing bro, you still got bags? I got a mate chasing one.

“Gross: Yeah man.

“Parka new: How much are they again?

“Gross: 300.”

In another SMS exchange on May 1, 2020, read to the court, Gross told a contact “Jason” he was “stacked up” with product and encouraged him to come to a worksite to try it.

Magistrate Simon Guthrie sentenced Gross to a 15-month community corrections order during which he will be supervised by Corrections Victoria, have to complete 150 hours of community work and undergo treatment as directed.

Mr Guthrie said Gross showed some evidence of remorse and told him he was lucky he was not going to jail.

“You shouldn’t be using drugs as a carpenter on a worksite for so many reasons,” Mr Guthrie told Goss.

Mr Guthrie said the offending involved “cleverness” by accessing the dark web and using cryptocurrency.

Gross pleaded guilty to importing cocaine, importing a hallucinogenic drug and possessing imitation firearms. He was fined $1000 without conviction.

Originally published as Joel Gross sentenced after federal police uncover international cocaine operation