Canberra man Brendan Baker guilty of drug trafficking after flaunting wealth on Facebook

A Supreme Court jury has found a 27-year-old man guilty of trafficking in MDMA, cocaine, methylamphetamine and cannabis after the Crown successfully argued the Canberra man’s income was at odds with the lavish lifestyle he promoted on Facebook.

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A Canberra man accused of running a high level drug operation to support a flashy lifestyle he flaunted on Facebook has been found guilty of drug trafficking and attempting to import a designer drug from China.

The jury found Brendan Baker guilty of 11 out of 12 charges at ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon including that he’d trafficked in MDMA, cocaine, methylamphetamine and cannabis, had attempted to import the synthetic stimulant methylone and had dealt with the proceeds of crime.

Canberra cafe owner Brendan Baker has been found guilty of drug trafficking and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

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The two week trial centred on evidence given by drug dealer turned informant Paul McCauley who claimed Mr Baker had used Bitcoin to purchase the stimulant on the dark net and had supplied him drugs to distribute through his own networks including $36,000 worth of MDMA stored in a pink Barbie lunch box.

A central theme of the Crown’s case was Mr Baker’s ownership of flash cars, an up-market cafe, deposit on a block of land in Taylor and more than $88,000 of cash deposits were irreconcilable with the 27-year-old’s reported income.

The jury found Mr Baker guilty of 11 of the 12 charges levelled against him.

Agreed facts reveal Mr Baker owned five cars between June, 2015 and May, 2018 — a Mercedes CLA 445, BMW 320i, Volkswagen Golf, BMW23 Convertible and Subaru Forester Station Wagon.

Prosecutor Darren Renton said this was at odds with his receipt of Youth and Newstart Allowance before he listed his employment as a recruitment specialist.

Mr Baker with the Mercedes he flaunted on Facebook.

The jury heard evidence from ex-girlfriend Olivia Perry who said he drove the Mercedes to their first date, telling her it was the equivalent to someone’s full time wage for a year, and saw him cover “a lot” of his bed in $50 notes as he frequently counted money in his bedroom.

Mr Baker’s barrister Astrid Haban-Beer said Mr McCauley could not be trusted because he was under pressure to concoct a story that would incriminate Mr Baker in exchange for immunity against prosecution for serious charges he was facing.

The 12-member jury failed to reach a verdict on one of the 12 charges; whether Mr Baker had imported a commercial quantity of the designer stimulant methylone, which had been sent to his O’Connor home but was not addressed to him.

Mr Baker will be sentenced in August.

Mr Baker’s barrister Astrid Haban-Beer said Mr Baker’s ownership of Remedy cafe in Kingston and a building supplies business was proof he had earnt an honest living running businesses in which cash is commonly used.

While she said Mr Baker was “no Young Australian of the Year”, his “desperation to impress his friends, potential girlfriends and even his nanna” on social media did not make him a drug trafficker.

Acting Chief Justice John Burns scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 15.