NSW drug crimes: Young cocaine, ice dealers exposed | List
They are NSW’s quick-cash under 30s, who have fallen into the notorious network of drugs following 1419 cocaine busts in the state alone. Now, some of NSW’s youngest dealers can be revealed.
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For years, drugs have corrupted the streets of Sydney with each decade bringing a new generation of dealers turning their hand to the illicit trade.
Many of the city’s drug suppliers are young, aged 30 and under, and are taking their chance in the fast lane to profit from the illegal trade.
Dr Garner Clancy, associate professor of criminology at University of Sydney, says for many young drug dealers, the lifestyle isn't a choice but rather one they often fall into as a result of their environment.
“Not many young people wake up one day and turn to drug supply as a way to make their fortune. They don’t have the connections, they don’t have the supply network required to do that,” he said.
“Often there are relationships that lead to youth turning to drugs. From my point of view those connections are pretty important. People within those networks know each other and trust each other and there is almost a degree where you are inducted into drug supply.
“They often start doing little stuff together and over time it becomes more organised and connected. That is generally true of many.
“These things often happen where people are trusted. You don’t just blow in and get the keys to a drug supply kingdom.”
Statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) revealed 1419 people were charged with cocaine supply in the 12 months to September 2021, an average of 118 a month.
In the same period there have been 257 reported instances of narcotics supply, 856 instances of cannabis supply, 2594 instances of amphetamines supply and 189 instances of ecstasy supply.
Dr Clancy said many drug dealers see the lure of drug money as a worthwhile risk.
“Youth getting into drug supply is often a subtle process where many factors are interacting.
“The allure of making a lot of money when the options are limited is why some teens turn to drugs as an option. As they weigh up their career prospects with the risk of getting caught dealing and believe that drug supply can be their ticket to riches, in a sense.”
Below we look at ten drug dealers who have been convicted in the last 12 months, all who are under the age of 30.
Ten of NSW’s youngest convicted drug dealers in the last year
JOSHUA LOWE
Police uncovered an ex-Waverley college student who used Snapchat to run a drug supply business after the detonation of an IED at a Sydney home.
Joshua ‘Josh’ Lowe, 20, from Malabar, was one of nine arrested after a police investigation following an IED (improvised explosive device) made of sparklers, aerosol cans and thumb tacks went off at a Canterbury home on June 8, 2020.
The Macquarie University commerce student was arrested in August 2020 by a special strike force where he remained in custody for almost four months until he was granted bail after his dad put up $100,000 surety.
In Burwood Local Court, Lowe pleaded guilty to three counts of drug supply with related charges of his participation in a criminal group, one count of drug supply and possession of a pill encapsulator taken into account as a form one assessment on sentencing.
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton sentenced Lowe to 18 months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of six months and 30 days backdated to November 2020 which meant he didn’t return to prison. He, however, was ordered to spend the balance of his term on parole under supervision after he completed his rehabilitation program.
CHARLOTTE CUNEO
A young woman pleaded guilty to supplying drugs throughout the Southern Highlands.
Charlotte Cuneo, 26, pleading guilty to five counts of supplying prohibited drugs from a Moss Vale motel and her home last year.
The New Berrima resident was arrested on March 11, 2020 as part of a co-ordinated police investigation into the supply of ice throughout the Southern Highlands.
According to court documents, between January 31 to February 29 last year, a police phone tap intercepted a number of calls and texts arranging for the delivery of drugs, using drug codes like “ball” (an eighth of an ounce) and “slow” (heroin).
The phone tap revealed Cuneo was involved in supplying 7g of meth over five deliveries, even offering to ride her bike to deliver to customers.
Magistrate Douglass sentenced Cuneo to 18 months imprisonment, with a 12 month non-parole period. He ordered her to participate in rehabilitation and stay away from drugs. Since she was in custody since March 10, 2020 Magistrate Douglass backdated her sentence which means she was released on parole.
KURT HOWLETT
Kurt Howlett, 29, was sentenced for selling cocaine across Sydney’s south to support his own drug habit.
The young man dealt cocaine eight times in three months in Caringbah and Woolooware, to compensate another dealer for the cocaine he was using himself.
Lawyer Allan Goldsworthy said Howlett was merely a street-level supplier at the direction of somebody else.
“It was to acquit what he would otherwise owe to (the supplier) for the cocaine, and he got himself into this terrible cycle,” said Allan Goldsworthy.
Sutherland Local Court Magistrate Kate Thompson acknowledged that young Howlett had been sufficiently deterred from this behaviour as a result of time in custody.
“He spent 41 days in custody (after his arrest) and I accept that has been a strong lesson in deterring him from continuing this behaviour,” said Magistrate Thompson.
Howlett pleaded guilty to drug supply and was sentenced to a 14-month intensive corrections order as well as 100 hours of community service.
TORI LEGEND
A court heard a Goulburn man enjoyed the power and influence that came with being a rural drug dealer.
Tori Legend, 25, admitted to being the supplier for a regional drug ring that distributed a variety of drugs, from cocaine to ice.
Police facts stated that officers found Legend’s drug stash when he called his girlfriend while in police custody to ask her to move the drug safe from underneath the kitchen sink. When police intercepted the safe, they found knuckledusters, $47,000 in cash, and bags neatly labelled with their illegal contents.
The court heard the safe contained a “huge amount” (121 grams) of MDMA, 51 grams of cocaine and three times the indictable amount of meth.
Magistrate Beattie said his very difficult childhood and drug dependency didn’t excuse his detrimental actions.
“You’re affecting the lives of the others in the group, you are impacting the lives of those who are associated with the group, and affecting the wider community in the flow on effect,” she said.
Legend pleaded guilty to four counts of supplying prohibited drugs, possessing a prohibited drug, participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, dealing with property proceeds of crime, and possessing a prohibited weapon.
He was sentenced to four years in jail.
JESSIE DAHDAH
A Sydney real estate agent moonlighting as a cocaine dial-a-dealer was ordered to follow a curfew stopping him going out and partying for two years as part of his drug supply sentence
Jessie Dahdah, 29, spent nine months behind bars on remand after he was charged with multiple drug supply offences.
The former Bankstown realtor had a secret side gig supplying cocaine across Sydney’s suburbs before it all came undone as detectives witnessed the moment he completed a deal in the KFC Milperra car park.
On November 26, Dahdah learned he would not face any full time imprisonment when Judge Mark Williams sentenced him to a two-year intensive corrections order for one count of ongoing drug supply and two counts of prohibited drug supply.
The intensive corrections order also specified that Dahdah had a curfew confining him to his home between 10pm and 5am every day with the only exception being on his wedding day and honeymoon.
BONNY OSBOURNE
A young woman was jailed for her role in a rural drug ring supplying ice throughout the Goulburn region after she was identified by extensive police phone taps.
Bonny Lee Osborne, 22, pleaded guilty to three counts of supplying small amounts of prohibited drugs and one charge of possessing an illicit drug.
In September 2020, police identified the Goulburn resident and her de facto partner as potentially involved in the supply of drugs in Goulburn and they were granted permission to tap their phones.
According to the police facts, officers intercepted more than 70,000 calls and messages and realised a large number of the communications related to supplying, buying and using drugs. Police say drug terms like “point” (which refers to a 0.1 grams of methamphetamine) were rife throughout the messages and accompanied by prices.
On February 19, Osborne was heard agreeing to supply 0.1 grams of meth for $70 to a regular client. According to the police facts, she went on to tell the buyer to pay or she and her partner would “go around and punch some heads in”.
A few weeks later on March 1, police listened as Osborne agreed to sell the same amount of meth for $100. Police facts show she picked the customer up at his house, went back to her house to get drugs, and then took his bank card to withdraw payment from the ATM.
On March 12, police intercepted a conversation where Osborne was roused from her sleep at 3am to bring 0.2 grams of meth to a customer in a different area of Goulburn.
Police facts state she was stopped by police a week later after she attempted to evade police in the streets and officers found a wallet with her partner’s ID, three packets of Suboxone (a drug used to treat narcotic addiction) and 0.55 grams of the opioid Buprenorphine.
The Goulburn resident was arrested on April 14 after police found her at a house on Churchill St, along with a number of mobile phones, “tick books” showing debtors, and a small amount of cannabis.
Osborne was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with a six month non-parole period and fined $900.
ALEX THERIS & KYNAN MAFFESONI
The two men from Lake Macquarie and Newcastle ironically met for the first time in court after being busted as part of the same drug ring.
Alex Michael Theris, 29, and Kynan Mark Maffesoni, 25, worked in a syndicate selling cocaine and ecstasy
Theris pleaded guilty in the Newcastle District Court to the ongoing supply of cocaine between November 23 and December 4, 2019.
The court heard he sold 27.5 grams of the drug for $5500 in five transactions during that time.
While Maffesoni pleaded guilty to two counts of ongoing supply with the court hearing he sold 28.5 grams of ecstasy and 15.5 grams of cocaine in 15 transactions between 27 November and 27 December, 2019. He then sold 8.5 grams of ecstasy and 18 grams of cocaine in 11 transactions between 28 December, 2019 and 26 January, 2020.
Court documents revealed Maffesoni often sold drugs from car parks at Wests Cardiff and Cardiff RSL, sending his customers messages such as “get in while stocks last” and “restocked, anyone need to put an order in for tonight?”
In his ruling Judge Roy Ellis took into account additional charges of drug supply and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime, sentencing Maffesoni to an intensive corrections order for a period of two years and three months. He also ordered him to complete 200 hours of community service, undergo drug counselling and abstain from drugs.
While Theris was sentenced to an intensive corrections order of one year and 10 months and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
NATHAN CHAN
A teenage drug dealer was jailed for supplying MDMA and cocaine to an undercover operative.
Nathan Chan, 19, was sentenced at Sydney District Court over three drug deals, which occurred over a three-month span in 2020.
On May 13, 2020 an undercover operative struck up a conversation with one of the drug group members on the encrypted app Wickr before Chan agreed to meet him in Strathfield where the operative handed over money for the drugs.
Analysis revealed five small plastic bags contained 139g of MDMA, which is a large commercial quantity. About $50,000 of cocaine was also supplied by Chan to the operative on two other occasions, the court heard, when Chan was in the company of another male.
Judge Penelope Hock said Chan had a “low level” role in the group and he was “most exposed to the risk of detection” as he was the one dealing directly with the undercover operative.
He was sentenced to two years and six months behind bars, with a non-parole period of one year and two months meaning he will be eligible for release in June this year.
CODY WARD
Cody Ward, 27 also known as the dark web vendor ‘NSWGreat’, pleaded guilty to three counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and three counts of supplying a prohibited drug greater than a commercial quantity before blaming “virtual drug dealing” for his offending.
Ward pleaded guilty to importing 1651.99g of MDMA, 1916.5g of amphetamine and 88,308 tabs of LSD between 2018 and 2019. He also pleaded guilty to supplying 2759 tabs of LSD, 1.19kg of amphetamine and 225g of MDMA.
District Court Judge Robyn Tupman sentenced Ward, who was in charge of Australia’s longest running dark web drug syndicate, to 14 years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 10 years in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court in May, 2021.
ASHBY KERR
Ashby Kerr, 22 narrowly avoided jail despite pleading guilty to supplying drugs throughout the Southern Highlands and owning two unauthorised firearms.
Police found the Braidwood resident living in his car in Bowral on January 1 and noticed the car was full to the brim with belongings. Police facts say Kerr was unsteady on his feet as he got out of the car and police smelled cannabis.
As police searched the car with Kerr’s permission, they noticed a shopping bag filled with cannabis on the floor. During Kerr’s arrest, police saw an ammunition magazine poking out of his pants pocket.
According to police facts, a search of the car revealed a gel air pistol and ammunition in a locked box and a replica Glock .22 under one of the seats. Police also discovered a mother lode of drugs stashed in the car, including 5.78g of cocaine, 38 LSD tablets weighing 0.43g wrapped in foil, 4.16 grams of magic mushrooms, 3.35g of white and brown meth tablets and 211g of medicated THC lollies.
Officers also found restricted prescribed Xanax pills weighing 18.85g and $985 in cash, which Kerr admitted was earned through criminal activity. Kerr admitted to police he was involved in drug supply throughout the Southern Highlands.
In Moss Vale Local Court he pleading guilty to breaking and entering a dwelling to steal less than $60,000, five counts of supplying a prohibited drug, two counts of possessing an unauthorised firearm, two counts of not keeping a firearm safely, possessing ammunition, having a restricted prescribed substance, possessing illicit drugs, and dealing with the proceeds of a crime.
Magistrate Rabbidge sentenced Kerr to an eight-month intensive corrections order, an 18-month community corrections order, and 75 hours of community service. He also ordered Kerr to participate in drug rehabilitation.
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