Andrew Brown: South Hurstville tradie admits to being a ‘dial-a-dealer’

The automatic door technician was found with an estimated $6000 worth of cocaine in a secreted panel inside his car.

A South Hurstville tradie has admitted he was a ‘dial-a-dealer’ when he was caught with $6000 of cocaine in his car earlier this year.

Andrew Thomas Brown, 28, pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine and dealing with proceeds of crime after he was arrested following a drug deal in Oatley on February 5.

The automatic door technician, who has two children, fronted Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday.

Agreed facts tendered to court said plain clothes St George Police officers were targeting known drug supply hot spots, particularly those locations where people use the service of a ‘dial-a-dealer’ when purchasing illegal drugs.

This method is typically prearranged via text messages or calls, usually using encrypted phone apps such as Wickr.

The buyer provides a location for the dealer to attend before entering the car for a short time where the drug transaction is done.

Andrew Brown (right), pictured with his lawyer, pleaded guilty to supplying drugs from his car in Oatley earlier this year. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Police saw a man lingering outside Oatley RSL on Letitia Street, looking at his phone when a blue Toyota RAV4, driven by Brown, pulled up.

The man got into the front seat before Brown did a lap of the block and dropped the man back off, which police documents said was a common practice.

Brown denied he was a dealer, instead claiming he was only an occasional cocaine user.

Police found $250 inside his wallet in $50 notes. On the driver’s side of the transmission tunnel, within easy reach, police pulled on a plastic panel and out dropped a mobile phone and a large clear bag of drugs.

Officers saw on the phone a message, on an encrypted app Signal, which had an address and “x2” which police alleged was an order for two bags of cocaine.

Inside the large bag were four smaller resealable bags which had the distinctive purple clips and cocaine inside.

Three bags and the cocaine weighed 30.62 grams, with police estimating the amount of the cocaine alone to be 19 grams.

The police documents said the drugs had an estimated street value of $6000.

Brown was taken to Kogarah Police Station where he was charged.

His case will return to court for sentence on June 7 and he remains on bail.