Mikaela Turner sentenced for supplying 4.5g of cocaine across Sydney

A student who was recruited as a ‘runner’ to supply cocaine for her friend – who allegedly ran a syndicate in Sydney’s affluent suburbs – has escaped full-time jail.

Mikaela Turner leaving Sutherland Local Court on October 17. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A student who was recruited as a ‘runner’ to supply cocaine for her friend – who ran a syndicate in Sydney’s affluent suburbs – has avoided full-time jail.

Former hairdresser Mikaela Jane Turner, 29, sold 4.5g of cocaine in exchange for $2300 during one night in October last year and previously pleaded guilty to drug supply.

Rahab Lopez Cespedes, 34, who ran the cocaine syndicate known as ‘Emily’ from her Sans Souci apartment where she took orders from customers via encrypted apps on a central phone, recently pleaded guilty to drug supply.

Agreed facts in Turner’s case said a police strike force was established in June 2022 to investigate the ongoing cocaine supply across central and southwest Sydney.

Investigators used electronic and physical surveillance and telephone interception to monitor Cespedes and Turner from July last year.

Rahab Lopez Cespedes leaving court with Mikaela Turner on October 17. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Turner was a runner for the syndicate and used Cespedes’ car to deliver drugs to customers around Sydney.

Police monitored four sales on October 8 and 9 2022 where Turner delivered two bags, totalling 1g of cocaine, to a customer in exchange for $500 at East Village Hotel in Balmain.

Police then followed Turner to her next delivery at Kirribilli where a customer got into the car for a short time after he had arranged to purchase 1g of cocaine for $500, court documents said.

Turner then drove to Pyrmont where she delivered one bag of 0.5g of cocaine in exchange for $300 following an order placed through the central phone.

The last sale occurred at 1am on October 9 after a customer contacted the phone and arranged to purchase four bags, totalling 2g, of cocaine for $1000 in Kirrawee.

CCTV footage showed Turner arriving at Cespedes’ unit about 1.25am that night, documents say.

Between July and October 13, Cespedes was recorded to be involved either directly or indirectly in the supply of 125g of cocaine totalling about $64,000.

Police raided Cespedes’ apartment on October 14 where the friends were arrested.

Cespedes has since pleaded guilty to one count of supplying cocaine while three other charges for supply and participating in a criminal group were withdrawn. She will be sentenced next month.

High-profile lawyer Ahmed Dib, who represented Turner at Sutherland Local Court on October 17, said his client’s criminal history didn’t assist her.

He told the court Turner sold the drugs only one month after finishing her parole period for more serious drug supply offences for which she was jailed.

Mr Dib said Turner’s apology letter to the court showed she had “grown and learnt” and while conceding there were four offences taking place over one evening, there was no planning or sophistication involved.

He also noted the amount of drugs sold was not large.

Mr Dib said Turner had taken proactive steps in her rehabilitation to educate herself about the harms of drugs in the community and submitted she should be sentenced to a community-based order not a jail term.

However, Magistrate Philip Stewart disagreed, saying the matter did cross the threshold for imprisonment and found that her previous prison sentence “did not deter” her from committing this offence.

He told the court there was no evidence on the agreed facts Turner did the offending for financial or material award.

Mr Stewart said while Turner had demonstrated insight into her offending, he wasn’t prepared to say she was unlikely to reoffend.

She was ultimately convicted and sentenced to a 14 month intensive correction order where she must complete 250 hours of community service work.

Turner must abstain from drugs and cannot associate with Cespedes for the duration of the order.