MMA fighter Tony Palemia found with meth drug in Coles bag, faces court
An MMA fighter - who has featured in the popular Urban Fight Night series - has faced court after he was found with ‘ice’ stashed in a plastic shopping bag.
Penrith
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A western Sydney MMA fighter who has featured in the popular Urban Fight Night series has admitted to dealing almost half a kilo of meth.
Tony Moa Uati-Palemia, 27, of Blacktown, pleaded guilty to supplying a prohibited drug at a commercial quantity before Magistrate Geoffrey Hiatt at Penrith Local Court on Friday.
Another charge of supplying a prohibited drug at a large commercial quantity was withdrawn by the DPP.
Uati-Palemia fights under the name Tony Palemia, and has a 2-1-0 career amateur record according to mixedmartialarts.com.
His most recent bout was against Rereata Pickering at Urban Fight Night 20 in August, 2019, a fight he won via decision after two rounds.
According to court documents, police were conducting surveillance near Cassia Cl and Garrick St in St Clair when they saw a black Mitsubishi ASX stop in front of a house on Cassia Cl.
About 25 minutes later, police saw Uati-Palemia leave the garage of the house holding a plastic Coles shopping bag and sit in the rear driver’s side seat of the Mitsubishi.
The car was later stopped by police on Mamre Rd, St Clair, where Uati-Palemia and two other men were removed from the vehicle.
During a search, police found the Coles bag contained a “large amount” of a crystal substance, later found to be methylamphetamine.
Another bag found in the boot contained plastic resealable bags and two sets of electronic scales.
Police also seized a black Samsung mobile phone from Uati-Palemia, and found three other mobile phones in the driver’s compartment of the car.
He was later charged with supplying 446.52 grams of methylamphetamine.
Magistrate Hiatt committed Uati-Palemia to the Penrith District Court for sentencing on September 4. He remains in police custody.