Mackenzie McNally: Drug runner in alleged ‘large, sophisticated’ Sutherland Shire syndicate sentenced

The Bonnet Bay media and communications graduate became involved in the alleged dial-a-dealer operation because she was “desperate for money”. Find out what happened in court.

A young woman with the code name ‘big Macca’ has avoided going to jail after she became caught up as a “runner” for an alleged cocaine dial-a-dealer syndicate in the Sutherland Shire.

Mackenzie McNally, 22, is a media and communications graduate and until Thursday, when she appeared in Sutherland Local Court for sentence, had no criminal history.

But now she has been convicted of supplying more than 60 grams of coke when she decided to pick up and deliver drugs to customers between June and August last year during strict Covid lockdown.

Agreed facts tendered to court said the Bonnet Bay woman became involved when one of the other drivers cancelled and despite it being “scary” she decided to transport drugs at the alleged insistence of the syndicate’s principals because was “pretty desperate for money”.

McNally came under police notice in April last year when Redfern Enforcement Squad officers began investigating Zac Sweeney and Adrian Moussa for allegedly supplying cocaine, the documents said.

Mackenzie McNally was charged with drug supply after she became a runner for an alleged syndicate operating in the Sutherland Shire. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Officers used covert telephone intercepts and electronic and physical surveillance to monitor the men’s alleged illegal activity.

Police allege the men were in charge of a “large and sophisticated street level syndicate” with them both sharing in $9000 profit a week from the sale of coke, the documents said.

Police allege the operation included various “safe houses” including a commercial storage shed, a house and vehicles parked in public places used to store the cocaine.

It is alleged customers would contact “runners” by text message, providing their address and how many bags they wanted to purchase.

Sweeney and Moussa allegedly used a number of runners to attend the safe houses, collect the drugs and deliver the street-level quantity to buyers, the documents said.

Mackenzie McNally was sentenced to a jail term to be served in the community when she appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Thursday. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Police allege the “dial-a-dealer” operation was mainly in the Sutherland Shire seven days a week with one runner employed between 2.30pm and 10pm Monday to Wednesday, two drivers on Thursday and up to four runners between 2.30pm and 11pm Friday to Sunday.

McNally was identified after she was captured on surveillance footage on May 28 and June 4 attending one of the alleged safe houses and then on June 21 placing items in a vehicle of interest, the documents said.

Police allege the men referred to McNally as “big Macca”.

On July 16, Sweeney and Moussa along with other associates were arrested and charged over their alleged involvement in the supply of cocaine as part of the syndicate. Their matters remain before the court.

It was not until August 12 that police went to McNally’s Bonnet Bay home, where she lives with her parents, and she admitted knowing the men and being involved in the alleged syndicate. She was taken to Sutherland Police Station, the documents said.

Mackenzie McNally became involved in an alleged drug syndicate because she was “desperate for money”. Picture: Facebook

According to the court documents, McNally told the officers in an interview about her involvement at the alleged direction of Sweeney, including information police did not know.

McNally admitted to going to an alleged safe house in Caringbah and collected 10 small bags of cocaine before driving them to customers in the Sutherland Shire.

She told officers she had returned to the house at least twice that night to collect 10 more bags each time, and was allegedly paid $500.

The court documents said McNally also told police she met Sweeney in a local Woolworths carpark where she was allegedly given a large amount of cash and drove it to a street in Winston Hills where she met Moussa and handed him the cash.

Moussa then allegedly gave her four small bags of cocaine that she returned home with before dividing them into 0.54 gram amounts and putting them into smaller individual plastic bags.

McNally told police she allegedly delivered and left the coke at the Caringbah house.

Police estimate, from McNally’s own admissions, that she was directly involved in the supply of 64.8 grams of cocaine.

McNally was charged with supplying between an indictable to commercial quantity of prohibited drugs. A charge of participating in a criminal group was later withdrawn.

The Bonnet Bay woman was able to demonstrate to the court her efforts towards rehabilitation. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

In court on Thursday, Magistrate Philip Stewart believed McNally should serve a jail sentence but due to the rehabilitation she had undertaken since being charged, he allowed her to serve an intensive correction order for nine months in the community.

“No doubt she played a significant part in the distribution of the drugs,” Magistrate Stewart said.

“Not a day goes by in this court where there isn’t a sentence for someone involved in a dial-a-dealer operation.

“That is how prevalent it is. The court has to do something about it.”

Magistrate Stewart noted McNally had family and prosocial ties, had gained employment with managerial responsibilities and had stopped associating with the people who got her involved in the alleged syndicate, adding she did not use drugs.

He also took into account her insight and remorse adding McNally appeared to have “turned a corner”, had good prospects for the future and he believed her unlikely to reoffend.