Jury retires to decide fate of accused Canberra drug trafficker Brendan Baker

The jury has retired to deliver a verdict in the trial of accused Canberra drug trafficker Brendan Baker. The court heard evidence of MDMA hidden in a pink Barbie lunch box, designer drugs purchased on the dark net with Bitcoin and flash cars which could not be explained by Mr Baker’s reported income.

• Millions invested in new ski equipment
• David McBride will ‘never’ take plea deal

A kilogram of MDMA concealed in a pink Barbie lunch box, designer drugs purchased on the dark net with Bitcoin, death threats over drug debts, flash cars and covert police operations.

The jury in the ACT Supreme Court trial of accused Canberra drug trafficker Brendan Baker has heard it all and on Friday they retired to decide the fate of the 27-year-old.

The Crown’s case highlighted Mr Baker’s lavish lifestyle including his ownership of a Mercedes which he drove to a first date and a BMW which he gifted to his grandma.

A central theme of the Crown case was these purchases, his ownership of an upmarket cafe in Kingston, cash deposits of more than $80,000 and plans to buy a block of land in Taylor were irreconcilable with Mr Baker’s reported income.

Brendan Baker with his beloved Mercedes.

In summing up, Acting Chief Justice John Burns said the jury had to decide whether to accept the Crown case that Mr Baker was involved in “relatively high level drug trafficking” allowing him to “live beyond his means”.

Mr Baker has pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges against him including drug trafficking, importation and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

“You must exercise caution before you convict the accused because the Crown case largely relies on you accepting the evidence of a single witness,” Chief Justice Burns said.

According to the defence, this “vital” witness Paul McCauley could not be trusted because he was a drug dealer himself who concocted a story that would incriminate Mr Baker to keep himself out of jail.

Brendan Baker has pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges against him.

Mr McCauley gave evidence that Mr Baker gave him 1kg of MDMA worth $36,000 which had been concealed in a pink Barbie lunch box inside three or four sandwich bags.

Mr Baker is also charged with importing two packages from China containing ethylone, a synthetic designer drug, which had been sent to his O’Connor home but were not addressed to him.

Mr McCauley claimed the pair had discussed plans to import 2kg of another designer drug, Methylone, also from China.

He claimed Mr Baker had paid for the drugs with bitcoin but they never arrived.

The Crown claims Mr McCauley’s evidence is supported by notes found during a police raid of Mr Baker’s home which made reference to websites used to purchase drugs on the dark web.

Mr Baker with his Alaskan malamutes.

Mr Baker’s barrister Astrid Haban-Beer said there had been no testing to confirm it was Mr Baker’s handwriting.

On Tuesday, Mr Baker’s ex-girlfriend Olivia Perry told the court she was never allowed to answer the door and receive packages.

Ms Perry said Mr Baker had rocked up to their first date in his Mercedes and once saw him cover “a lot of his bed” in $50 notes as he frequently counted cash in his bedroom.

The jury was told Ms Perry’s evidence that Mr Baker had told her he had dealt drugs in the past should not ‘lead” them to determine he is guilty of the offences he is now facing.

Brendan Baker drove his Mercedes to his first date with an ex-girlfriend he picked up at the gym, the court heard.

Mr Baker has pleaded not guilty to trafficking commercial quantities of cannabis, MDMA and methylamphetamine.

Mr Baker’s barrister Astrid Haban-Beer said the fact her client “was a young man desperately trying to impress his friends, potential girlfriends and even his nanna” did not make him a drug trafficker.

She said his income could be explained through takings from his Kingston cafe, building supplies shop and renovation business.

She described the Crown case as a Pro Hart painting, “splashing paint around here and there” and asking the jury to “connect the dots”.