NewsBite

Brisbane personal trainer Christian Collado jailed for cocaine trafficking

A personal trainer has been sentenced to six years jail for his role in a drug trafficking syndicate that pushed “a large amount of cocaine into the community”.

Christian Bong Collado.
Christian Bong Collado.

A personal trainer has been sentenced to six years jail for “pushing a large amount of cocaine into the community”.

Christian Bong Collado, 39, who arrived in Australia from the Philippines when he was 18, trafficked anywhere from 30 to 60 ounces of cocaine over a seven and half month period receiving up to $180,000 of unsourced income, Brisbane’s Supreme Court heard.

For the first two and half months Collado worked alone selling one to two grams of cocaine in what’s known as ‘street level’ trafficking. He was purchasing an ounce for $7000 to $8000 and clearing $3000 to $4000 profit.

Christian Bong Collado arriving at Supreme Court, Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston
Christian Bong Collado arriving at Supreme Court, Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

However from mid October 2021 he took on a partner and also became involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering syndicate based out of Spring Hill by supplying it with cocaine in ounce, or wholesale, amounts and also handing over drug profits to for the syndicate to clean which were returned to him as “wages” through a payroll scheme, the court heard.

There was also discussion with a customer to supply half a kilo of cocaine for $197,000 however no evidence this occurred, the court heard.

Collado and his co-accused’s attendance upon the syndicate saw them marked by police who had been investigating the Spring Hill operation, the court heard.

“A number of conversations with syndicate members (were) captured by surveillance devices about their ability to supply whatever amounts of cocaine the syndicate needed,” Justice Elizabeth Wilson said on Tuesday.

Christian Bong Collado was sentenced to six years for drug trafficking.
Christian Bong Collado was sentenced to six years for drug trafficking.

When Collado and his co-accused were raided in March 2022 police found 88 clip seal bags containing 131 grams of cocaine with a purity of about 12 per cent “which could have resulted in a profit between $13,000 to $18,000”.

Collado gave the money-laundering syndicate about $1500 to $1600 a week for four months which saw him paid a weekly “wage” of about $1000.

The court heard the rest was taken for “tax” and “superannuation” but was actually the syndicate’s cut for laundering the money.

With poor English skills impeding his ability to get qualifications Collado explained to a psychologist his attraction to selling cocaine as “having grown up in a poor family … been tempted by the ease of making some money by supplying drugs”.

The court heard Collado had a serious gambling problem at the time and some of his unsourced income may have come from that.

“Whatever way you look at it, it’s a lot of drugs that you were pushing into our community,” Justice Wilson said.

Christian Bong Collado.
Christian Bong Collado.

She accepted he was genuinely remorseful and had entered timely pleas of guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering, three counts of supplying MDMA, two counts each of aggravated possession and possession of drugs and one count each of possess property suspected of having been used in connection with the commission of a drug offence, possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence under drugs misuse act and buy or possess s4 or s8 medicines or hazardous poisons.

Justice Wilson said she would treat Collado as a first-time offender given his minor criminal history which contained no drug convictions.

Collado will be eligible for parole in April 2026.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/brisbane-personal-trainer-christian-collado-jailed-for-cocaine-trafficking/news-story/2f4069bf08b24eaf4319edfb7a02fec9