Beau Dennis Marshall, Joseph Charles Neale, Darren John Scott, Glenn Mervyn Hanrahan, Dennis Cummins sentenced over coast to Tamworth drug ring

Five men involved in a syndicate supplying ‘ice’ from the Central Coast to Tamworth — led by a career criminal who bought his first house at 18 — have been sentenced. Read what they got here.

Beau Dennis Marshall, of Chittaway Point, was the ringleader in a drug ring supply ice from the Central Coast to Tamworth using `couriers'. Picture: supplied

Five men involved in the supply of ‘ice’ from the Central Coast to Tamworth — including the ringleader Beau Dennis Marshall — have been sentenced.

A court heard Marshall, 31, of Chittaway Point, was the “pinnacle” of the operation who organised pick-ups of methylamphetamine from an upline supplier in Sydney before distributing it through street level dealers on the Central Coast and to another mid-level supplier in Tamworth.

Marshall used three of his associates as “couriers” who he gave cover stories, paperwork and other work-related reasons for why they were travelling in the New England area.

Marshall and four other men — Joseph Charles Neale, Darren John Scott, Glenn Mervyn Hanrahan and Dennis Cummins — faced Downing Centre District Court on Thursday after each man pleaded guilty to a variety of offences including the ongoing supply of prohibited drugs.

The court heard Beau Marshall had a long criminal record. Picture: NSW Police

The court heard Marshall had not long been released on parole in early 2020 for previous drug supply offences when he found himself unemployed and returned to what he knew best.

Judge Alistair Abadee said Marshall had a long history of selling drugs and developed an “early appreciation of the lucrative rewards of drug trafficking”.

He said the former bricklayer bought his first house at the age of 18 from the proceeds of drugs and later told a psychologist after his arrest he had been motived by greed after blowing all his money on drugs, alcohol and gambling.

“I seen the money and it got the better of me,” Marshall told his psychologist.

The drug syndicate was discovered when Tuggerah Lakes Police established Strike Force Harle in March 2020 to investigate the supply of methylamphetamine on the Central Coast.

Meanwhile in October, officers from Oxley Police District established Strike Force Kunderbung to investigate the supply of `ice’ in the Tamworth area.

Some of the drugs seized by Strike Force Kunderbung and Strike Force Harle investigators. Picture: NSW Police

Officers from both strike forces obtained warrants to intercept Marshall and several other men’s phones and through recorded calls and physical surveillance, found Marshall conducted no less than 103 drug transactions with a total amount of 1.4652kg of methylamphetamine between September 24 and December 2 in 2020.

The facts state Marshall supplied his Tamworth contact Hanrahan, then aged 45, a total of 1.12kg of ice on nine occasions and received between $285,000 and $326,500 in payments.

On one occasion a courier picked up 140g of ice from Marshall’s home at Chittaway Point, and drove it to a house at Fitzroy St, Barraba, an hour north of Tamworth where he received $42,500.

Marshall also supplied 345.3g of methylamphetamine on the coast receiving between $95,680 and $121,080 in payments, which he accepted in cash, electronic transfer and in some cases paid couriers by wiping between $700 and $800 off their drug debts.

Police seized cash and mobile phones during simultaneous raids at Tamworth and the Central Coast. Picture: NSW Police.

In December 2020 police conducted a series of simultaneous raids on properties on the Central Coast and Tamworth where they also stopped a Toyota HiLux near Willow Tree.

Police searched the ute and located $80,000 in cash and a small steel toolbox screwed to the undercarriage of the vehicle containing 109.6g of methylamphetamine.

Police searched Marshall’s Geoffrey Rd property at Chittaway Point where they seized mobile phones, $25,000 cash and 11.89g of methylamphetamine.

Marshall had fled the house before officers arrived but later called Woy Woy Police Station on February 4, 2021 and stated “he was willing to turn himself in”.

Marshall pleaded guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs, knowingly deal with the proceeds of crime and possessing a prohibited drug.

He was sentenced to 12 years jail with a non-parole period of eight years and two months.

With time served he will be eligible for parole on April 3, 2029.

Marshall, of Chittaway Point, was sentenced to a minimum of eight years and two months jail. Picture: NSW Police

Hanrahan, of Tamworth, pleaded guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs, supplying a prohibited drug and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Hanrahan was sentenced to nine years jail with six years non-parole.

Cummings, 53, of Watanobbi, pleaded guilty to two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime, three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, supplying a prohibited drug, possessing a prohibited drug and three counts of possessing a prohibited firearm.

He was sentenced to six years and four months jail with a non-parole period of three years and 11 months.

Scott, 55, of Killarney Vale, and Neale, 48 of Barraba, both pleaded guilty to one count each of supplying a commercial quantity of drugs.

Scott was sentenced to five years and three months with a non-parole period of three years and three months while Neale received a minimum of two years and four months jail.