‘Not worth it’: Trafficker paid $1500 per week for role in major drug ring

A key player in a multimillion-dollar interstate drug ring was only paid $1500 per week to traffic hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs, a court has heard.

A key player in a multimillion-dollar interstate drug ring was only paid $1500 per week to traffic hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs, a court has heard.

Steven Junior Leilua, 27, was jailed for a maximum of nine years at Brisbane Supreme Court this afternoon after pleading guilty to trafficking for the syndicate.

The court heard that Leilua was just 22 when he was recruited by his cousin Leo Salesa as a driver and he quickly rose up the ranks of the syndicate to meet the couriers, unpack drugs and onsold at least $250,000 worth of MDMA and ice.

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Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook described Leilua as having a “management level” role in the drug ring that organised cars loaded with up to 21kg of methamphetamine and MDMA in Sydney to travel to locations around the country including Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Mr Cook said it was unknown how much the syndicate turned over, but it was “very very substantial”, and during one raid NSW police had found $4 million in cash at one of the ring’s safe houses.

Despite the large scale of the operation, the court heard Leilua was only paid $39,000 for his six months of trafficking between February and August 2015.

“Looking back and now looking forward to what’s to come I’m sure you would think that was not worth it,” Justice Helen Bowskill said.

Justice Bowskill said it seemed like Leilua thought he was living some kind of “movie life” and that it defied logic that he would get involved.

Barrister Penelope White said at the time Leilua had an MDMA addiction and was taking up to 10 pills a day.

She said he was just an “employee” in the business and a conduit who reported to the top of the Queensland syndicate, Kaven Geffery Talavave.

“While he was taking care of a number of people, he was someone who was acting directly on the instructions of Talavave,” Ms White said.

“He did whatever he was told to do.”

Leilua will be eligible for parole after serving three years behind bars.

Salesa was sentenced to nine years’ jail in July, after pleading guilty to money laundering and five counts of supplying dangerous drugs.

He will be released after two and a half years.

Mr Talavave is yet to be sentenced.