Alleged drug trafficker Rowan Kingwill granted bail

An alleged drug trafficker who is accused of supplying marijuana to a school student has been granted bail, despite police concerns that he has ties to a notorious bikie gang.

Rowan Kingwill granted bail on drug trafficking charges. Picture Facebook

An alleged drug trafficker who is accused of supplying marijuana to a school student has been granted bail, despite police concerns that he has ties to a notorious bikie gang.

Rowan Mark Newton Kingwill, 28, allegedly supplied thousands of dollars of marijuana to the 17-year-old, who then onsold the drugs to other students at a high school north of Brisbane, coaching him to make a “tick sheet” and pressuring him to sell.

Queensland Police arrested Kingwill in November last year and allegedly found a Bandidos bike “helmet and patches”, the Brisbane Supreme Court was told during a bail hearing on Friday.

Rowan Kingwill granted bail on drug trafficking charges. Picture Facebook

During the hearing the Crown prosecutor flagged concerns about Kingwill being granted bail to live at his partner’s Burpengary house.

The prosecutor told the court that two of his partner’s brothers were Bandidos members.

But Kingwill’s lawyer Andrew Owen said there was “no suggestion” that the outlaw motorcycle group were involved in the allegations.

Kingwill was charged with drug trafficking in Burpengary between January 9 and November 22, 2020 and supplying drugs to a minor.

The court heard he smashed his phone on the ground during a police search, but a forensic examination had allegedly revealed he had been selling “half pounds” of marijuana worth $1900 to a student at Narangba Valley State High School.

The court heard the teenager, who has also been charged over the incident, then onsold the drugs to other students.

Text messages allegedly showed that Kingwill coached the teenager on how to create and maintain a tick sheet and pressured him to sell more drugs.

“During multiple conversations the applicant applied pressure to the juvenile to sell more cannabis and make more money for him using intimidatory language,” Justice Elizabeth Wilson said.

Kingwill’s solicitor Andrew Owens told the court that the student was only a minor for part of the trafficking period and urged Justice Wilson to grant bail.

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Justice Wilson said the very serious allegations were aggravated because he was accused of “targeting vulnerable children”.

“Peddling drugs to children to use that drug is in my view, very serious,” she said.

Justice Wilson said she would grant Kingwill bail after considering his age, lack of criminal history and that he would be subject to strict bail conditions.

As part of the conditions, Kingwill must wear a tracking device, report to police three times a week and have no contact with the school or anyone aged under 18.