Woman’s bold claim about 1kg MDMA worth $360k on street

Police allege she was ‘injecting’ during the bust but her lawyer says she was only at the unit to shower

Drugs and items uncovered during a police search in Airlie Beach on Thursday. Police allege more than 1kg of MDMA was uncovered.

A WOMAN allegedly caught injecting drugs during a police raid has denied knowing anything about $360,000 worth of MDMA found at the Airlie Beach unit.

When Jessica Elizabeth Leech, 29, applied for bail after the drug bust, she argued she was at the home because another person had offered for her to shower and clean up there.

Lawyer Ali Ladd told Proserpine Magistrates Court yesterday that police arrived to search the unit on Thursday just after his client got out of the shower and she claimed she did not know anything about the MDMA.

Ms Leech is facing 23 charges, including trafficking, supplying and possessing dangerous drugs, among other offences.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors told the court Ms Leech was found with more than 1kg of MDMA, which was worth $135,000 and had a street value of up to $360,000.

Drugs and items uncovered during a police search in Airlie Beach on Thursday. Police allege more than 1kg of MDMA was uncovered.

She argued Ms Leech was "an unacceptable risk to the community" and had not previously not complied with bail conditions.

Sgt Myors said bail had been revoked and a warrant issued to apprehend Ms Leech the last time she was on indictable offences.

"It is a strong Crown case. When police located (Ms Leech) in the apartment she was alone … she had a loaded syringe, she was in the process of injecting, she was interrupted by police and the subsequent search located over 1kg of MDMA," Sgt Myors said.

"Should (Ms Leech) either plea or be found guilty it is not only likely that she will receive a term of imprisonment, it's almost a forgone conclusion that there will be no other appropriate penalty but a term of imprisonment. So any time in custody would not be wasted time."

Sgt Myors said these circumstances made Ms Leech an unacceptable risk for committing further offences or not complying with conditions and she should remain in custody.

 

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Ms Ladd said her client had been homeless but her father had given permission for his daughter to live with him in Cannonvale if she was granted bail and she was willing to wear a monitoring bracelet on her ankle.

"My client strongly refutes the charges before the court and instructs me she would not associate herself with any further negative influences," Ms Ladd said.

"She instructs me that that has been the cause of some of her troubles with the law in the past and she's going to try and move away from that."

But Sgt Myors said police had previously spoken to Ms Leech's father about his daughter living at his residence and at that time he said he did not want her there.

The court heard the police prosecutor had not spoken to her father this time but the Cannonvale home was not deemed suitable as Ms Leech had not complied with bail when living there in the past.

Acting Magistrate John Milburn concluded Ms Leech had not shown remaining in custody was unjustified and refused bail.

"I have come to the conclusion there is an unacceptable risk that if released on bail you would fail to appear and surrender into custody and could commit further offences," he said.

Drugs and items uncovered during a police search in Airlie Beach on Thursday. Police allege more than 1kg of MDMA was uncovered.

Ms Leech's matters were adjourned to September 7.

Leech did plead guilty to six counts of breaching bail and one count of failing to appear as part of the proceedings, but no other pleas were entered.

Mr Milburn fined Leech $500 for breaching bail and sentenced her to seven days in jail for failing to appear in court, but the jail sentence was immediately suspended for nine months.

The convictions for these offences were recorded.

Cannonvale man Luke Joseph Saliba, 36, also appeared in the Proserpine court yesterday after a police search in Airlie Beach.

Mr Saliba appeared briefly charged with drug possession, drug supply and possessing a thing used in the commission of a crime.

Ms Ladd asked for her client's matter to be adjourned to Monday to allow police enough time to check Mr Saliba's nominated bail address.

The matter was adjourned to Monday.

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