Kane Rodger sentenced for supplying cocaine in Sutherland Shire

A south Sydney plasterer has been given a chance to not return to his old drug supplying ways when he was sentenced for selling cocaine for months.

Kane Rodger was sentenced to an intensive correction order of 17 months in Sutherland Local Court after he admitted to supplying 31 grams of cocaine in 25 transactions over a number of months in 2021. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A tradie has narrowly avoided jail after he convinced a magistrate he could stay clean from drugs and work full time.

Kane Rodger, 34, was sentenced in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to supplying drugs last year.

Agreed facts tendered to the court said Strike Force Smilie officers came across Rodger while investigating cocaine supply in the Sutherland Shire area in August 2021.

Police lawfully intercepted Rodger’s phone, with conversations revealing he co-ordinated the supply of cocaine as part of a syndicate with his girlfriend Elizabeth Davies and Nathan Cooke.

Between September 2021 and February 6, 2022, Rodgers supplied or assisted in the sale of 25 transactions of cocaine, totalling 31.2g.

Kane Rodger completed a drug rehabilitation program and works as a plasterer. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Police arrested Rodgers at his Caringbah home, where a small bag of cocaine weighing 0.9g was found in the kitchen.

During a search warrant, police found $5000 in $100 notes in the unit and $4970 in $50 notes in his white Mercedes parked at Sutherland.

Rodger was charged with supplying between an indictable and commercial amount of cocaine, having $10,420 cash from the proceeds of crime and possessing a small amount of drugs.

Meanwhile, the telephone intercepts revealed Rodgers also intimidated Davies and breached an apprehended violence order.

The couple lived together in Cronulla in 2020 until they separated in late 2021 but still had contact.

Elizabeth Davies was previously sentenced for her role in delivering and supplying cocaine throughout the Sutherland Shire. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Agreed facts said Rodgers was on the phone arguing with Davies on February 17 and claimed to smash her phone.

In further phone calls that night, Rodger requested Davies bring him a set of keys, giving her 40 minutes to arrive otherwise, he would “start destroying things” in her house.

“This is how insane I am, remember,” Rodgers said to Davies.

“I am in your room. I am going to gut each room for forty minutes from now.

“For every five minutes you are late, I am going to smash everything you f--king own until you bring me my house keys. Test me.”

Smashing sounds could be heard as Rodger said, “this is your Airpad,” the documents stated.

Rodger continued to threaten to smash her belongings before he told her he would take “anything expensive and throw it off the balcony”.

Following his arrest the next day, Rodger was also charged with domestic violence offences.

Drug runner Nathan Cooke avoided jailed for his role in delivering cocaine as part of the network. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

The court heard Rodger had been remanded in custody until July 28, totalling 159 days, when he was granted Supreme Court bail to attend a residential drug rehabilitation program.

It required clients to do full-time paid work before returning to sleep at the facility, attend counselling meetings for drug and alcohol, and complete drug testing three times a week.

The court heard Rodger had not breached any of the facility’s rules during his stay.

Rodger was the director of his own company, Pro Patch Plastering and worked as a tradesperson during his rehabilitation program.

The court heard Rodger had fallen into a heavy drug addiction and started selling cocaine to fund his habit but had been clean from drugs since he went into rehabilitation.

Mr Park said, in relation to the domestic violence offences, that his client had completed an anger management course and had shown a “significant level of remorse” and acknowledged his threats would have been “traumatic for the victim”.

Magistrate Hugh Donnelly sentenced Rodger to an intensive correction order for 17 months, and he must complete 300 hours of community service.

Mr Donnelly said Rodger’s partner “deserved better” and the threats he made were “unacceptable” before also sentencing him to a community correction order for 12 months.