Western Sydney drug dealers: The stories behind the deals revealed
From smuggling pills into festivals in underpants to a drug dealing tale reminiscent of the TV series Breaking Bad — here’s what happened when dealers faced the music.
Penrith
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From pills being smuggled into festivals in underpants to a drug dealing tale reminiscent of the TV series Breaking Bad — these are the stories of western Sydney’s drug dealers and what happened after they got busted.
Douglas Woods
Mt Pritchard man Douglas Woods, 34, claimed he had no idea he was smuggling drugs when he was caught with more than 1000 MDMA pills in his underwear at Penrith’s Defqon. 1 music festival.
Woods was busted with four condoms filled with pills hidden inside his underpants at the popular festival in September 2018.
The man claimed he was given the drugs by a “stocky Asian man” but said he didn’t know what they were.
A magistrate wasn’t convinced, however, and sentenced him to at least three years’ jail.
Full story here.
Shane Norman McDonald
South Penrith’s Shane Norman McDonald, 49, was jailed last year after almost 75kg of drugs were uncovered at his home.
McDonald, who said he was battling a liver condition and became involved in the major drug operation to support his family, told a tale reminiscent of the storyline of the hit TV show Breaking Bad.
He pleaded guilty to supplying commercial quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA.
He’ll remain behind bars until at least 2027 after a judge sentenced him to 12 years’ jail, with a non-parole period of nine years.
Full story here.
Grace Poo
Convicted drug mule Grace Poo was only 22 years old when she was caught smuggling almost 1600 party pills into a dance festival in 2018.
Poo claimed she had been homeless and suffering from mental illness when she was busted with hundreds of MDMA capsules stuffed in her bra and inserted inside condoms at the Midnight Mafia Festival.
Poo pleaded guilty to supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited plant.
Despite claiming she fell into the world of drug dealing out of financial desperation, she was jailed for at least a year.
Full story here.
Joshua Sainsbury and Andrew Sammut
Two men’s plans to peddle 1000 MDMA pills at an Australia Day music festival unravelled after they were caught bragging to undercover police.
Joshua Sainsbury, 23, and Andrew Sammut, 26, were busted dealing MDMA pills to covert cops in January 2019, just days before planning to supply drugs at Sydney’s HTID Festival.
The men made the pills in a Kennard’s self storage unit in Penrith and were known to supply from their car near Penrith train station.
Sainsbury and Sammut claimed to be able to supply 1000 capsules of MDMA with some notice and 500 immediately.
With their plans exposed, the men were hit with multiple charges of supplying a prohibited drug.
They were each jailed for at least 11 months.
Full story here.