Reggie Centenera Miquiabas: Allawah man busted supplying cocaine outside Marrickville pub

A retail manager had wracked up large credit card debt and turned to dealing cocaine to solve his woes. But his plan came unstuck when police spotted a man enter, then swiftly exit, a car.

Reggie Centenera Miquiabas leaving Newtown Local Court.

A retail manager with a hefty credit card debt might have thought he had solved his money woes — but his scheme fell apart when police spotted a man enter, and then swiftly exit, his car.

Allawah man Reggie Centenera Miquiabas, 26, pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine and the deemed supply of cocaine after he was sprung with 6.44g of cocaine stashed in his car in a dial-a-dealer operation gone wrong on December 10.

A court heard Miquiabas roused the suspicion of police when officers noticed a man leave the Vic on the Park pub in Marrickville and enter, before swiftly exiting, the front passenger seat of a black Mitsubishi Outlander.

“(The) male spent no more than one minute inside the vehicle before exiting and walking back in the direction in which he came from … (Miquiabas) was the driver and sole occupant of the car,” agreed police facts.

At this point police removed Miquiabas from the car and he made full admissions to the officers, stating the car contained eight to 10 bags of cocaine and he had just sold one bag of cocaine for $300, a court heard.

Reggie Centenera Miquiabas (white shirt) leaving Newtown Local Court.

Police then searched the car where they found $300 in the front passenger door.

“During the search, police also located a small compartment underneath the steering wheel to the right of the Miquiabas’ vehicle,” police facts state.

Reggie Centenera Miquiabas.

In this compartment, police found nine resealable bags containing cocaine, with a combined weight of 6.44g.

In court, Miquiabas’ defence lawyer said his client had made full admissions to police and there was no suggestions he was involved in a larger drug syndicate, instead he described his client as a mere “low-level street dealer”.

The court also heard Miquiabas owed approximately $3600 in credit card debt at the time of the offending and was selling drugs to repay the debt.

“It wasn’t the best idea at the time,” the defence lawyer said referring to his client’s decision.

Magistrate Christopher Longley told the court he had seen far too many of these types of dial-a-dealer offences and a clear message needed to be sent to the community.

Miquiabas was convicted of the offences and sentenced him to a 12 month community corrections order.

“People who deal in substances … (need to learn) it’s not the way to go around solving your problems,” Mr Longley said.