Shane David Richards: Alleged South Burnett drug dealer committed to district court

A man charged with dealing more than $20,000 in ice has had his matter committed to a higher court, after a magistrate earlier threatened to release him from custody. LATEST UPDATE:

The case against an alleged South Burnett ice dealer has moved ahead after languishing in a lower court for months.

Shane David Richards has been held in custody for seven months, accused of dealing more than $20,000 of the insidious drug ice in the South Burnett region.

His trafficking charge has finally been moved out of magistrates court and was committed to the District Court on June 20.

The 50-year-old was arrested on November 18 last year when police swooped on a Tarong property and seized drugs including methamphetamines, two firearms, two replica guns, ammunition, and cash.

Footage from raids in Tarong in relation to meth dealing in the North and South Burnett.

Mr Richards was denied bail on November 23, with his case returning to court multiple times and then stalling.

The case has moved at a sluggish pace and Murgon magistrate Andrew Sinclair issued police an ultimatum at a hearing in March – hurry up, or Richards will get bail.

Mr Richards is charged with 62 offences including 50 counts of supplying dangerous drugs, and one count of trafficking dangerous drugs and receiving or possessing property obtained from trafficking or supplying and other related offences.

His case was mentioned briefly in Murgon Magistrates Court on July 5, with the supply and trafficking charges not listed on the court callover list.

Duty lawyer Jay Rose acted on behalf of the Bundaberg Legal Aid office and told the court the trafficking charge had been committed to the District Court on June 20.

She requested a lengthy adjournment on the remaining charges in the magistrates court.

Footage from raids in Tarong in relation to meth dealing in the North and South Burnett.

The case was adjourned to November 8.

Richards was arrested as part of the five-month Operation Konopie which targeted drug supply across Murgon, Cherbourg, Nanango, Kingaroy, Gayndah, and Mundubbera.

Murgon detectives charged a total 57 people with 404 offences, and seized firearms and drugs following the closure of the operation targeting the supply of methylamphetamine in the Burnett.