Five charged after police investigate alleged party drug syndicate
Five young men have been charged over an alleged party drug syndicate operating in the Shellharbour region.
Illawarra Star
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A group of young Illawarra men are allegedly at the centre of a major party drug syndicate that was smashed by police on Thursday night, responsible for the sale and distribution of thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.
Police arrested five men between the ages of 18 and 27 south of Wollongong two nights ago, after a months-long investigation into drug supply in the Shellharbour region.
Kieran Daniels, 27, Ryan McAllister, 18, Joshua Kemper, 21, and Jarrod Turk, 21, were each refused bail by Magistrate Susan McGowan on Friday, after they were arrested and charged with multiple drug supply charges last night.
A fifth man, aged 19, was also arrested during raids an alleged drug transaction and charged with two counts of possess prohibited drugs. He is due to face Port Kembla Local Court on 13 November 2019.
According to police facts tendered to the court, police began investigating the “sophisticated” syndicate in January, establishing Strike Force Tulare to look into the supply of prohibited drugs at licensed premises across the Shellharbour region.
During the investigation, court documents say police recorded some of the men selling drugs to people in or around well-known pubs including Ocean Beach Hotel and the Central Hotel.
The youngest in the group, McAllister was charged with the highest number of offences, with police laying 19 charges related to drug supply overnight.
Police facts tendered to the court allege he was responsible for the supply of at least 340g of cocaine between July and October, which has a total street value of more than $100,000.
The 19-year-old was arrested on Thursday night, after police swooped on what was allegedly supposed to be a $27,700 drug deal. According to court documents, McAllister had agreed to meet a customer, who was actually working for the police, to sell him four ounces of cocaine. But after handing the drugs over, police pounced, charging McAllister with the supply of prohibited drugs.
After his arrest, police also raided his Mount Warrigal home, where they allegedly found 43 pills believed to be ecstasy, almost 29 grams of MDMA and almost 10 grams of cocaine.
Police will allege McAllister was working with Kemper, Turk and Daniels, who were also arrested in an alleged drug deal turned drug bust at Albion Park McDonalds on Thursday evening.
During the course of the investigation, police became aware of Turk, who was allegedly caught supplying MDMA in the Shellharbour area “three or more times” in a two month time frame between August and October.
Police facts allege that in the days leading up to October 17, arrangements were made between Turk and a customer, who was secretly working for police, for the sale of five ounces of MDMA.
According to court documents, it was agreed Turk would meet the customer in the McDonalds car park at Albion Park on Thursday evening, where the drugs would be exchanged for $7000 cash.
After arriving at spot, Turk hopped into the customer’s car, and advised them he was waiting for his upline supplier, Daniels, to arrive.
Daniels allegedly called Turk and told him he would deal with the customer alone and asked him to return to his car. When he arrived, Daniels allegedly got in the passenger side of the car and handed the customer 156 grams of MDMA. As he was counting the cash handed to him by the customer, police swooped in and placed him under arrest.
Turk and Kemper, who were also at the carpark, were placed under arrest and taken to Lake Illawarra police station with Daniels.
Police facts allege that after his arrest, Daniels made full admissions to supplying the MDMA, but said he was doing it on behalf of Kemper, who had paid him $1000 to do so.
Kemper, who is facing one charge of supply commercial quantity of prohibited drug, and one charge relating to the possession of a knife, did not make an application for bail on Friday and was formally refused by magistrate Susan McGowan.
Turk, McAllister and Daniels all made applications for bail but were formally refused.
Each of the matters will return to court on October 23.