Man charged over horror missing cocaine torture denied bail

Police allege the drug dealer turned on one of his mules, kidnapping her before she was tortured over $25m of missing coke.

A man who allegedly kidnapped a young woman before she was handed off to a crew of criminals that brutally tortured her has been denied bail over concerns he would “do a runner to Phuket”.

The 40-year-old – who can only be referred to as “AN” – left the woman “traumatised” at the prospect he could be released from custody, the Supreme Court heard on Friday.

The 22-year-old woman was accused of stealing 84kg of cocaine while doing “dead drops” for the man last year, before, police allege, she was kidnapped by AN at gunpoint in front of her husband.

The full story of what police allege happened to the young woman over a horrific 48 hour period was revealed by the Sunday Telegraph last weekend for the first time.

At one point inside the alleged torture house four men held her down, put a hand over her mouth and chopped off several toes with bolt cutters, the woman told police.

”AN” who is alleged to have taken the woman over a missing $25 million haul of cocaine.

The group is alleged to have then used her phone to communicate to friends and family in an attempt to locate the drugs.

Sitting in a prison audiovisual suite on Friday morning, a bespectacled “AN” sat motionless as crown prosecutor Rafaella Buttini described the suffering the young woman allegedly endured.

Her hair was allegedly shaved by the group of men he is accused of leaving her with.

She spent six days in hospital after her escape.

“This is an extremely serious matter, there is a significant risk to the complainant,” she said.

“She was put through an extremely traumatic encounter and was tortured quite viciously.”

The woman was allegedly driven blindfolded for hours to Karuah in Port Stephens, tied to a tree half-naked and bleeding from her injuries and threatened with being killed if she moved.

When she was eventually found, she spent six days in John Hunter Hospital recovering.

The woman said she is “traumatised” by the events.

This is the state of her foot after she was found hours from home.

AN was arrested two days later, on February 18, 2023, attempting to board a flight to Phuket via Hong Kong, having allegedly left the woman in the hands of her captors.

His barrister, Philip Strickland SC, told the court AN had previously explained that he was attempting to enter rehab in Thailand, but now wanted to be released into a rehab on bail in Port Stephens.

He was “drug addled” at the time the young woman alleges he kidnapped her, the court heard.

“We get back to ‘is he gonna do a runner is he gonna make for the airport and make for Phuket?’ well things have changed and circumstances have changed,” Mr Strickland said.

Prosecutor Ms Buttini argued his actions at the time showed he was attempting to flee the jurisdiction.

Her nails were allegedly ripped off by a group of men during her ordeal.

“He was at the airport with a quantity of cash, at the same time he had a family and that did not deter him,” she said.

In denying him bail, Justice Mark Ierace said he was “far from convinced” AN was going to Phuket for rehab days after allegedly being involved in the kidnapping.

The van allegedly used to kidnap the young woman.

“(AN’s) explanation before the court on that occasion and effectively on this occasion … there was a drug rehab program in Chiang Mai in a very different part of Thailand,” Justice Ierace said.

“There was no explanation about getting a flight to Phuket rather than a flight to Hong Kong and then to Chiang Mai.

“The nature of the torture was harrowing.

“If in due course it is established at trial that the complainant did indeed suffer the injuries by way of torture it comes as no surprise that the complainant is traumatised by the possibility of (AN) receiving bail.”

His case will next be heard in Burwood Local Court at a later date.

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