Adrian Mauricio admits dealing meth
Police have busted a man, who has been working in the jail kitchen while on remand, bragging about the cheap price of the meth he was dealing.
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A Berkeley man who has been working as a jailhouse chef has admitted to selling meth after he was busted organising drug deals via text message.
Adrian Mauricio faced Wollongong Local Court this week, where he pleaded guilty to seven drug-related offences, after he bragged about the cheap price of his meth, also known as ‘ice’ to his customers.
The 29-year-old was arrested on June 7 and has been remanded in custody ever since, a few days after he came under police notice at a Corrimal servo.
In documents tendered to the court it was revealed police stopped Mauricio after he left the petrol station on May 29, after observing him with his girlfriend, who was banned from seeing him by the courts.
Mauricio told police his girlfriend had just dropped him off and that he was walking to the train station to get back to his Berkeley home.
Meanwhile, Mauricio’s girlfriend was stopped by police on the Princes Highway.
A short time later while she was driving along the Princes Highway with police noting she was “extremely nervous and shaking”. She initially denied seeing Mauricio, but later admitted they had been their together but “were not doing anything wrong”.
Police searched her vehicle, finding a phone belonging to Mauricio, which they seized.
Officers analysed the phone, quickly finding several drug-related messages on his Facebook messenger account.
While they were analysing the phone however, court documents reveal the account was remotely deactivated.
They were however still able to download an “extensive” number of the messages, as well as photos of packaged drugs, drug ledgers and cash.
In one message, Mauricio contacted a client and bragged about the quality of his meth, suggesting he buy a half ball or 1.75g of the drug,
“Really good, best I’ve had in weeks,” the text read.
On another occasion, Mauricio told a buyer he had a “cracker” quantity of meth available, offering to sell him an “eight ball” of 3.5g of meth for $1000.
“Everyone else’s (eight balls) are $1200”, his text read.
Mauricio was arrested on June 7 during a traffic stop on June 7, where police found him with two boxes of headphones, believed to be stolen with almost $300.
During his appearance at court this week, Magistrate Claire Girotto heard Mauricio had been working in the kitchen while on remand in jail.
“You’re a good Italian boy, I hope you’re cooking good food for everyone,” she said.
“Nah, just heating stuff up,” he said.
He will return to court next month for sentencing.