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BY Geordi Offord
TRUE CRIME
Wide Bay drug dealers who came undone
The drug epidemic sweeping the Wide Bay has been a political football in consecutive elections and prompted local rehabilitation clinics to call for more funding and a dedicated detox centre.
Despite years of crackdowns, police figures and weekly court lists show the drug trade is still roaring in a region which already boasts some of the country's worst unemployment and homeless statistics.
The Bundaberg NewsMail, in partnership with the Fraser Coast Chronicle and Gympie Times, has taken a deeper look at those behind the local drug trade.
Within the walls of a Booral home, three men living together hatched a plan and formed a major meth ring, which police say was at the top of the supply chain for Hervey Bay, Maryborough and beyond.
Fraser Coast meth ring
Two of the trio, Daryl David Hall and Ed Westphal, would book into Hervey Bay hotels and resorts and set up pop-up shops.Followers on Hall's social media enjoyed seeing him referred to as the 'mayor' of Hervey Bay.
But their operation had not flown under the police radar. Their empire crumbled in June 2018, when police raided a unit at a Mantra Resort. Hall and Westphal were caught in the act.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
In 2019, Dean Grant O’Donnell pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court to more than 10 offences including drug trafficking and the possession of drugs and weapons.
Sophisticated ice operation unravels
Police investigating the drug trade in Hervey Bay and Maryborough began monitoring O’Donnell, who was trafficking in “wholesale amounts” of the drug ice, between 2014 and 2016.
Detectives spent months monitoring O’Donnell’s “sophisticated” drug operation, installing cameras and recording devices in his Susan River home and at his nearby stash points in bushland where he hid drugs, guns and cash in eskies.
The court heard O’Donnell used the spoils of his trafficking to buy luxury items including Versace shoes, Louis Vuitton items, cars and motorbikes, and deposited large sums of cash in his bank account.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Swipe up to see the full list of Wide Bay dealers who came undone.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/web-stories/free/newsmail-bundaberg/wide-bay-drug-dealers-who-came-undone