Jesse Kinniment: Fifth person charged after alleged GBL, ice syndicate smashed
A man accused of being involved in a drug syndicate allegedly responsible for the supply of ice and GBL has pleaded with a magistrate to give him bail after he was arrested in a pub gaming room after a two-day manhunt.
Illawarra Star
Don't miss out on the headlines from Illawarra Star. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Couple set to defend $189K fraud allegations
- Man busted allegedly dealing meth from ‘fortified’ house
A fifth person accused of his involvement in a drug syndicate allegedly responsible for the supply of ice and GBL has been arrested after a two-day manhunt.
Jesse Kinniment was arrested at the Corrimal Hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning, two-days after police issued a warrant for the 32-year-old’s arrest following a major drug sting.
On August 6, police charged several people over their alleged involvement in the alleged drug operation, after establishing Strike Force Cohen to investigate the supply of illegal drugs through the Wollongong and Lake Illawarra areas.
He has been charged with two counts of supply prohibited drug, one count of ongoing supply of prohibited drug and agree to supply prohibited drug, after police spent months surveilling he and his co-accuseds’ phone calls.
The 32-year-old faced Wollongong Local Court on Monday, where Magistrate Jillian Kiely refused his application for bail, despite Kinniment begging for a “second chance”.
“This (jail) is where I’m at my worst,” he said. “I just want to fix my life … I will do whatever you deem necessary and I’ll take accountability for my actions.”
Kinniment’s lawyer told the court his client denied allegations he was supplying drugs, and that the alleged evidence recorded in phone intercepts were merely Kinniment “talking rubbish” to his mates.
However, Magistrate Kiely noted it was a “strong police case” and if found guilty, he would likely be facing a lengthy amount of time in custody.
In documents tendered to the court, police allege Kinniment and his mate Bradley Murray, who has also been charged with several drug supply offences, were responsible for obtaining both meth and GBL, also known as liquid ecstasy, and supplying it at street level.
Over the course of just 25 days from June 17 to July 12, police allege Kinniment sold meth to customers on 41 different occasions. It’s alleged he sold a total weight of 25.75 grams of the drug which had a total price of $25,720.
In the documents, police allege Kinniment “spoke freely” about both taking and supplying the drugs, referring to meth as “food”, “hoon” and “rock”, and GBL as “drinks” and “beers”.
Kinniment, who appeared in court via audiovisual-link on Monday, will return to court on September 30. He will remain on remand in custody until then.