Builder jailed over two clandestine drug labs uncovered in Macarthur, Moorebank

A builder has been jailed after police caught him twice in two years operating large-scale clandestine labs and manufacturing party drugs such as ecstasy.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted last week of four counts of manufacturing large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs and supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug. Picture: NSW Police

A builder has been jailed after police caught him twice in two years operating clandestine drug labs and manufacturing party drugs such as ecstasy.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted last week of four counts of manufacturing large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs and supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

Agreed facts state the man lived with his family at a rural property near Camden and he was owed more than $160,000 by “The Club”, which was alleged to be an outlaw bikie gang.

In late 2018, police raided his home and uncovered a large-scale clandestine laboratory with prohibited drugs and drug manufacturing equipment.

They uncovered 2.6kg of pure MDP2P, used to create MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy. A further 19.7kg of MDP2P was also located, in which the purity could not be determined.

Police were at the property in Macarthur for four days in 2018 after the initial raid.

Drug paraphernalia piled up outside the lab during the raid. Picture: NSW Police

The man also manufactured 3kg of pure MDA, a psychedelic drug, and 217g of pure methamphetamine.

In a shed, officers also found 21.96kg of GBL, known as liquid ecstasy.

The man was arrested a few days later after he was discharged from the hospital after being admitted as a mental health patient.

He remained in custody on remand for several months until he was released on bail for the offences in 2020.

Then, police conducted surveillance of a property at Moorebank, where they saw the man entering the industrial unit multiple times. Police arrested him in September 2020 before officers raided the property and found another clandestine drug lab.

The man, alongside a co-offender, possessed 43.8kg of pure MDP2P to create MDMA. He also manufactured 109g of pure methamphetamine MDMA.

Specialist police officers search the secret lab. Picture: NSW Police

In defence submissions it was revealed the man started using drugs when he was 18 and was taking ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines and LSD on most weekends until he was 28. He then relapsed in his mid-thirties which escalated until he was using cocaine daily.

In a letter to the court, the man spoke of the strain of having to keep two dark secrets including childhood trauma and also investing heavily in a couple of large projects in which he became substantially over capitalised.

The man’s defence team said there was strong evidence of rehabilitation as he had been completely abstinent from drugs for the last five years since his arrest in 2018.

Judge Paul Mahony said it was clear he had been operating a sophisticated, clandestine laboratory.

But he accepted there was no evidence he funded the set-up or purchased the chemicals needed for the 2018 offences.

“It was an aggravating factor of all the offending that it was carried out for financial gain,” Judge Mahony said.

“In respect of the 2020 offences a further aggravating factor to be taken into account is that the offences were committed whilst the offender was on bail for the 2018 offences … this demonstrated a complete disregard for the law and court orders.”

The man was sentenced to a combined term of imprisonment of 12 years, with a non-parole period of seven years. He will be eligible for parole from January 27, 2027.