Catherine Grainger: Southern Highlands drug dealer jailed over meth syndicate

Police said the arrest of pink-haired drug dealing boss Catherine Grainger was enough to put a massive dent on the meth trade in the state’s southern highlands.

The pink-haired boss of a Southern Highlands meth syndicate has been jailed, almost a year after police dismantled the syndicate she led with a series of dramatic raids.

Catherine Ann Grainger, 50, of Mittagong, was last week jailed for three years on a string of charges stemming from her drug dealing operation.

Goulburn District Court Judge Mark Williams ordered Grainger to be released on parole in September, after 18 months served.

Court documents show Grainger directed the activities of a loose group of low level drug dealers and dealt meth for months while serving a community corrections order.

Catherine Ann Grainger, 50, has been jailed for three years.

Catherine Ann Grainger admitted she ran a Southern Highlands drug syndicate.

Grainger was the target of a police strike force, which tapped nearly 17,000 phone calls over two months and which made its move on Grainger in March last year.

Grainger agreed in court she was the “main offender in the group” selling small amounts of the drug to her criminal minions, who onsold the drugs.

Two of the minions were at her Bessimer St home during a police raid, which uncovered drugs, detailed ledgers of her customers, and precision digital scales.

In total, Grainger was one of six charged in connection to the syndicate.

The investigation also revealed she dealt drugs out of a house in Melbourne St, New Berrima.

Police at the time hailed Grainger’s arrest as putting a massive dent in the supply of drugs in the region.

“The supply of drugs in regional towns has a major impact on our community, and it simply won’t be tolerated,” crime manager Detective Chief Inspector Brendan Bernie said last year.

“We will continue to target those engaging in the supply of illegal drugs, and rest assured anyone who engages in these activities will face the full brunt of the law.”