Jeff Piper: Tourist led cops on chase prior to Bondi cocaine bust
An overseas tourist selling drugs in Sydney’s eastern suburbs led police on a foot chase before being busted with 10 bags of cocaine.
Southern Courier
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An overseas tourist selling drugs in Sydney’s eastern suburbs led police on a foot chase before being busted with 10 bags of cocaine.
Jeffrey Steven Piper, 33, who hails from the US, fronted Waverley Local Court this week to be sentenced for selling cocaine and resisting arrest at Bondi.
On the night of October 9, police became suspicious of drug supply when they watched Piper pick up and drop off a passenger on Denham St.
The agreed facts stated police stopped Piper in his Subaru Forester and found just over $4000 in cash and a mobile phone in his possession.
While being taken to a police vehicle, for a further search, Piper tried to escape and ran from officers.
He was stopped about 400m away with the help of a member of the public before wrestling with police and being handcuffed, the agreed facts stated.
Police found a bag near where he was stopped containing 10 smaller bags of cocaine with a weight of 8.84g.
The court heard on Wednesday the well-educated traveller had been trying to return home to the US, following the spread of COVID-19, and he had not been able to gain work in Australia because he did not hold a working visa.
He was convicted on all three charges of supply prohibited drug, resist police and deal with proceeds of crime.
Magistrate Ross Hudson fined him $1850 and sentenced him to a community corrections order for a period of 12 months.