Brain Thrift: Stanmore GBL, meth supplier sentence hearing

To neighbours he was just an unsuspecting 54-year-old. But Brian Thrift was hiding a staggering collection of drugs, weapons and cash inside his inner west home.

A three-bedroom apartment just walking distance from The Enmore Theatre and Newington College is one of the last places you would suspect to find a drug den overflowing with illegal substances.

The property had been the decade-long home of Brian Rory Thrift, an unsuspecting 54-year-old.

When cops raided the home they uncovered a staggering haul of illegal drugs and weapons fit for a criminal kingpin.

Thrift ran a major Stanmore drug house...

With a major cash stash hidden in his roof.

Cocaine. Ketamine. Ice. GBL. Cannabis. Prescription drugs. A taser. Capsicum spray. Three safes and cash totalling $293,000, bundled by denomination.

Following three months of physical and electronic surveillance of Thrift, his lucrative drug supply enterprise was sensationally dismantled.

An agreed statement of facts tendered to the District Court on Tuesday outlined how police discovered the drugs scattered across his Stanmore property including about 3L of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) stored in blue vials and Mount Franklin water bottles.

Other drugs, such as two small resealable bags of cocaine, were found in his storeroom and even a small amount of cannabis was found inside a lawnmower grass catcher.

Court documents reveal how Thrift handed police the codes to locked safes, including two found in the roof cavity. The 54-year-old man was said to be surprised when told the safe in the roof was empty, until he was told police found a second safe in the roof which held $293,000 cash.

Text message exchanges between Thrift and his customers were captured in court documents which detailed his prices, arranged times for buyers to collect the gear and how one unknown customer affectionately called him “Darlz”.

The court heard Thrift was a drug addict and had no need for the money, having paid off his mortgage, and was planning on using the stashed cash for his retirement.

His barrister said Thrift had strong support from family and friends and planned to help guide others away from his poor choices on his release from prison.

Thrift was remanded in custody on Tuesday. He will be sentenced on Thursday by Judge Penny Hock on commercial drug supply (GBL), drug supply (103g of methamphetamine), possession of a taser and dealing with the property proceeds of crime, being $289,255.