Jake Anthony Magri: Ballina man sentenced for MDMA, guns supply

A prominent Byron Bay brewhouse formed the backdrop for the sale of a $33,000 military firearm and 150g of MDMA. But the buyer wasn’t who they appeared to be.

A West Ballina man behind an extensive cross-border guns and drug syndicate has learnt his fate.

Jake Anthony Magri, 28, faced Lismore District Court on Wednesday for judgment regarding multiple drug and firearm possession and supply charges from 2020.

Magri had previously pleaded guilty to 36 firearms and drug charges, including supplying a prohibited firearm, supplying a commercial quantity of drugs, manufacturing a commercial quantity of drugs, knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and possessing counterfeit money.

During his judgment, Judge Warwick Hunt detailed how Magri was caught dealing with an undercover officer working for cross-border operation Strike Force Ranson.

The operation began in March 2020 when Magri met the officer at Byron Bay’s Stone and Wood brewery where they arranged a $33,000 SLR military firearm and 150g MDMA deal.

The court heard Magri and co-accused Aaron Andreas Salwat also facilitated an order for 11,000 MDMA pills, roughly 2.192kg, in April to the officer.

The pair rented a Coomera Airbnb to manufacture the pills and Magri added a cutting substance to the mixture.

Strike force Ranson saw police from Victoria, NSW and Queensland become involved.

The court heard the offending didn’t stop with MDMA supply and in May, Magri supplied 2.471kg of amphetamines to the officer.

At one point Magri texted the officer a picture of the white paste calling it “old school speed” using an encrypted phone.

He then dropped off the supply, with a compressed block of MDMA, to the officer at the West Ballina BP in May.

The block was tested to be of 83 per cent purity.

Magri involved former school friend Brett Leon Thomas into his criminal dealings when he tried to send him $32,500 in cash to turn into bitcoin.

The package was intercepted by police and in July this year, Thomas was convicted and sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order for his role.

Magri had also asked Alexander Lord to convert $60,000 in cash to bitcoin at Star City Casino in December 2019, and later received $31,500 in cash from Mr Lord to replace the failed courier attempt to Thomas.

This was in addition to $950 of counterfeit $50 notes found and $10,400 in money loaned to Magri’s friends later discovered to be proceeds of crime.

The court heard Magri also supplied cannabis and cocaine to the officer.

The undercover officer played a pivotal in the arrests of Magri. Picture: New South Wales Police

However, the operation came to an end in a seemingly run-of-the-mill drop off in June 2020.

Magri was supplying a further 621.3g MDMA and 449.8g dextromethorphan pills when he was arrested by the undercover officer.

A search of Magri’s house uncovered a pistol, a rifle and a bounty of other weapons.

The court previously heard Magri’s defence counsel argue he found himself in the criminal underworld after turning to drugs as a way to deal with depression, stemming from his serious hemiplegic migraines.

The diagnosis was made when he was 12 and migraines include seizures, epileptic episodes, and periods of prolonged hospitalisation.

Judge Warwick Hunt said while the drugs were not disseminated to the community, the supply was nonetheless a serious one.

“Objectively, each of the supply matters is dangerous, it puts the community at risk,” he said.

He said whatever level of sophistication Mr Magri thought he was bringing to the operation “clearly didn’t work”.

“If not gullible, it was at least unsophisticated to the view he was dealing with someone he could trust and that was part of the criminal milieu,” Judge Hunt said.

He said Magri’s friends and family spoke flatteringly on his work ethic and commitment to family and friends.

“It is pretty clear that although this was an extended exercise into the criminal law, he’s been able to rely on the fact most of his 28 odd years on the planet he has behaved in an exemplary fashion,” he said.

Judge Hunt said he was satisfied Magri was unlikely to reoffend if he could avoid drugs.

He convicted Magri and sentenced him to 19 months in jail for the Commonwealth offences, backdated to June 23, 2020.

For the NSW offences, he was convicted and sentenced to an aggregated sentence of 10 years jail, backdated to June 23.

He was placed under a non-parole period of five years and six months and will be eligible for release in December 2025.