Michael Hughes: northern beaches tradie charged with drug supply

A northern beaches tradie caught with 25 bags of cocaine in his underwear and an eye-watering amount of cash in a designer bag has received a stinging lecture from a magistrate.

A northern beaches tradie turned dial-a-dealer was caught red-handed with 25 bags of cocaine in his underwear and more than $13,000 cash in a Louis Vuitton bag after police watched him do a deal, a court has heard.

Michael Hughes, 22, was charged with indictable drug supply and dealing with property crime proceeds after police observed a customer buying cocaine from him in Manly’s night-life hotspot on March 18.

The charges prompted a stern lecture from a magistrate about Hughes’ role as a pawn in the drug industry and his need to take accountability for his choices.

Agreed police facts tendered to Manly Local Court reveal the Wheeler Heights tradie was seen picking up a passenger on Raglan St in Manly before depositing him just 20m down the road.

“Police strongly suspected a drug transaction had occurred (and) police stopped and introduced themselves to the passenger,” agreed police facts state.

“Police located three small resealable bags of white powder in the passenger’s wallet totalling 1.9g.”

Michael Hughes, 22, at Manly Local Court on September 21 2022 after he was sentenced for cocaine supply.

Other officers then stopped Hughes further down the road, and asked him if he had anything on him.

“He stated he had ‘some bags and some money’,” police state.

“The accused pulled 25 clear resealable bags containing a white powder from his underwear, (before) police searched the vehicle and located a Louis Vuitton bag containing a large sum of cash.”

Subsequent weighing and testing showed the substance was 20g of cocaine, and the cash totalled $13,940.

At Manly Local Court on September 21, Hughes pleaded guilty to the indictable drug supply charge, with the court considering the property proceeds charge as a factor in his sentence.

His solicitor Omar Juweinat told Magistrate Robyn Denes his client had been forthcoming with his employer about the court proceedings and had started pursuing rehabilitation and support for his own drug addiction after his arrest.

“This is a young man who has turned a corner,” Mr Juweinat told the court.

“He is now drug free and he only has the occasional drink.”

Ms Denes cited a September 20 report in the Wentworth Courier – a sister publication to The Manly Daily – about the court’s approach to cocaine supply sentences in her approach to Hughes’ punishment.

Michael Hughes, 22, at Manly Local Court on September 21 2022 after he was sentenced for cocaine supply.

“You were supplying drugs to address your own debts – I try telling people that early on that this is going to go nowhere fast because you rack up a debt, you owe people money, and they generally not nice people that care about you,” Ms Denes told Hughes.

“You’re effectively not doing it to make money, it’s commercial for other people but it effectively means you’re still a pawn in their game.”

Ms Denes said the Courier’s report highlighted that “barely a day goes by in Sydney” where professionals, or other law-abiding people, are not represented in the local court for dealing cocaine.

She also noted the report highlighted how people caught dealing other drugs such as ice and heroin have historically been dealt with much more severely than those caught dealing cocaine.

“Sydney is awash with cocaine,” Ms Denes noted.

“This is a drug that is imported from communities in Latin America beholden to drug lords, people get murdered and raped in the street (because of the cocaine industry).”

The magistrate said Hughes’ offending was sufficiently serious to cross the threshold for imprisonment but determined he could best achieve rehabilitation by serving a sentence in the community.

Ms Denes convicted Hughes and sentenced him to a 15-month intensive corrections order with supervision by St Leonards Community Corrections and 150 hours’ community service.

She also ordered the cash found in Hughes’ bag to be forfeited to the state.

A female supporter who attended court with Hughes told media they “did not have consent” to take any photos, saying “what you are doing is ridiculous”.

Hughes then attempted to evade waiting media by flailing an umbrella in efforts to hide his face as Mr Juweinat walked wordlessly alongside him.