Nathaniel Grahame Dunk jailed for more than four years for ‘sub dealer’ role in southern suburbs drug syndicate
A man dealing methamphetamine as part of a major drug syndicate and who considered himself a “white knight” to his customers has been hit with a hefty jail term.
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A middle-man dealer who had a document titled “how to be a drug dealer” considered himself a white knight to his customers, a court heard.
Nathaniel Grahame Dunk, 38, was jailed for more than four years after he became entangled in a sophisticated drug syndicate.
Dunk was arrested under Operation Stability, which began in February 2021 and targeted drug trafficking in the southern suburbs.
Serious and organised crime branch police pounced on the syndicate of men on November 24 and 25, 2021.
During a search, police discovered $155,000 in cash, 40g of methamphetamine, two cars and three motorcycles.
A search of properties at Sellicks Beach, Modbury North, Windsor Gardens and Holden Hill allegedly led to discoveries of more methamphetamine, 100g of cocaine, 5kg of pseudoephedrine, 1kg of iodine, 2L of hypo-phosphorous acid and a clandestine lab.
Blake Eric Thompson was at the apex of the enterprise and his downfall came when he arranged for 993g of methamphetamine to be couriered and police intercepted the package.
Thompson was jailed for 13 years after he pleaded guilty to 89 counts of drug trafficking and one count of money laundering.
The court heard the men would collect the drugs directly from Thompson, or from a safe house.
Dunk’s phone was analysed and showed he had a significant customer base and was selling amounts up to half an ounce of methamphetamine, which he charged $11,000 for.
When police searched his house they found 3.4g of methamphetamine, tick lists, $8000 and a document entitled “how to be a drug dealer”.
Dunk pleaded guilty to multiple counts of drug trafficking.
“You naively thought that you were not hurting people by selling those drugs because you did not threaten them if they owed you money,” Judge Geraldine Davison said this week during sentencing.
“You saw yourself as a white knight in respect to them.”
The court heard Dunk became significantly addicted to methamphetamine in his late 20s and began to spiral out of control.
“You would go four to five days without sleep, you were not working so using methamphetamine would make the time go quicker,” Judge Geraldine Davison said.
Judge Davison said she accepted Dunk was now motivated to turn his life around but immediate jail was the only appropriate penalty due to the significant quantities he was selling.
She sentenced Dunk to four years and nine months in jail, with a non-parole period of three years and nine months.
The sentence was backdated to May 12.
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Originally published as Nathaniel Grahame Dunk jailed for more than four years for ‘sub dealer’ role in southern suburbs drug syndicate
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