Kulnura: Warren Paul Ryan, 49, sentenced for manufacturing 10kg of `ice’ and a police pursuit

A clandestine drug manufacturer, who rammed two unmarked police cars when he was cornered at Ourimbah, must have known they were officers, a court has heard at his sentencing.

Ryan was among two men who were arrested at Ourimbah before Organised Crime Squad detectives raided a property at Kulnura where they seized 10kg of ice, $220,000 cash and dismantled a clandestine drug lab. Picture: NSW Police

One of two men charged over the discovery of a clandestine drug laboratory at Kulnura where 10kg of `ice’ was seized has been sentenced.

Warren Paul Ryan, 49, of Catherine Hill Bay, faced Gosford District Court via video link on Thursday after pleading guilty to manufacturing a large commercial quantity of drugs and using an offensive weapon to avoid arrest.

He also pleaded guilty to two other offences — failing to stop during a police pursuit and breaching a Covid health direction — which were taken into account during his sentencing.

An agreed set of facts states Ryan approached the owner of a property on Parana Rd, Kulnura, and asked if he could rent their shed to store tools while he converted a bus into a motor home.

The shed was converted into a clandestine drug lab. Picture: NSW Police

The court heard Ryan introduced the owners to another man and the pair were seen “coming and going at random times of the day and night” while the door to the shed had been padlocked shut.

Months later the owners noticed a “horrible smell” coming from the shed and police uncovered a large clandestine lab, seizing 10kg of “ice” and 20kg of precursor chemicals.

Police decided not to disturb the lab for safety reasons and conducted covert surveillance on Ryan and another man, who they followed from Kulnura to a property in Burns Rd, Ourimbah, on September 7 last year.

The shed took six days to process and render safe. Picture: NSW Police

Officers surrounded Ryan’s vehicle, a Toyota Kluger, and when an officer got out, Ryan reversed and rammed an unmarked police car. Another officer who was standing outside the vehicle was injured when he was squashed between the door and door frame.

The facts state that Ryan rammed a second unmarked police car before driving off and a short pursuit was initiated.

The facts say the Kluger travelled 80km in a 50km zone before colliding with a concrete divider and both men ran off.

Ryan was located in a nearby pond while the other man was found in bushland.

When asked about the pursuit, Ryan told officers he didn’t know they were police.

However a District Court Judge said he “did not believe” Ryan would not have known he had been stopped by police before engaging them on a “serious” pursuit.

Police found 10kg of meth at the shed. Picture: NSW Police

The shed at Kulnura was declared a crime scene with NSW Fire and Rescue HAZMAT called in to ensure the site was safe before the Chemical Operations Unit took over.

It took six days for the lab to be dismantled and investigations to be conducted at the site.

The facts say that 5345.7g of pure methylamphetamine was found in the lab in different forms along with 1684.8g of phenyl-2-propanone which is a chemical used in the manufacturing of the drug.

There was also five tonnes of liquid waste and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

Ryan’s DNA was found on items in the shed including a diary with instructions on how to manufacture drugs.

A search warrant of Ryan’s Catherine Hill Bay house also found a tall glass with a white crystal substance in his ensuite as well as a glass pipe with a white substance in the walk-in wardrobe.

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

With time already served since his arrest Ryan will be eligible for release on March 3, 2025.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months to begin when he is released from prison.

The other man, who was with him in the Kluger, has also been charged with drug offences but is yet to enter any pleas and remains before the court.