Strike Force Wandarri: Craig Phillip Cooney, of Terrigal, pleads guilty to commercial ‘ice’ supply

A drug dealer caught with more than 1kg of ice said he was “off my head at the time” and supplying meth to a woman for “sexual relations” rather than “money value”, a court has heard.

Cooney was charged with large commercial drug supply as part of an ongoing investigation on the state’s Central Coast.

A 34-year-old Terrigal man said he was smoking ice heavily and supplying meth to a woman he was “in a sexual relationship with” rather than making any money, a court has heard.

Craig Phillip Cooney faced Gosford Local Court via video link on Friday where he pleaded guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of meth.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing small amounts of cocaine and steroids, along with 25g of prescription anxiety medication Alprazolam, commonly referred to by the band name Xanax.

An agreed set of facts states Brisbane Water Police established Strike Force Wandarri to investigate the supply of drugs on the Central Coast in 2021.

About 8.30pm on July 17 2022, police observed Cooney drive to a house at Springfield where he supplied a woman, identified only by the initials KG, with 55.87g of meth.

Cooney pleaded guilty in Gosford Local Court on Friday, March 15, 2024. (File image)

He was seen leaving the house a short time later wearing a black hoodie with a distinctive “Geedup” logo across the front.

Five days later police obtained a warrant to search the Springfield address where they found the drugs inside a larger vacuum-sealed bag hidden in a toilet cistern.

Police found the drugs (pictured) in a vacuum sealed bag. Picture: NSW Police

CCTV seized from the house showed Cooney arriving and leaving, while his DNA profile was found on the inner plastic bag containing the drugs.

Several months later on December 15, police obtained another warrant to search his address on Terrigal Drive where he told officers he had some cocaine, steroids and Xanax for “personal use”.

Cooney was taken to Gosford Police Station where he participated in a recorded interview and told officers he was “having sexual relations with KG”.

The facts state he told police he and the woman were “smoking ice together” and he left the drugs with her because she was in trouble and “me and her were sort of in a sexual relationship”.

Cooney told police he was smoking ice heavily and not thinking clearly.

“I would have been off my head at the time,” he said.

During a search of his Terrigal address police seized 2.33g of cocaine in the kitchen cupboard and 2.96g meth.

On the kitchen bench police found two clear jugs containing meth in both a liquid and crystal state.

Specialist officers attended his DNA and fingerprints were found on the jars.

Police also found a vacuum sealed bag containing meth in a storage box behind his car.

All up the total amount of meth seized was 1.032kg.

Cooney was granted bail before being arrested again on March 1 last year and taken to Gosford Police Station where he declined to comment further.

He will face Gosford District Court on April 11 to fix a sentencing date.