Zac Sweeney, Adrian Moussa plead guilty to drug supply charges, running syndicate
Two men who ran and operated an “organised and ongoing” drug supply network in the Sutherland Shire have appeared in court.
St George Shire Standard
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Two men have admitted to running a Sutherland Shire drug network and supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine.
Zac Vincent Sweeney, 30, and Adrian George Moussa, 29, pleaded guilty to five charges each when they appeared in Sydney’s Local Court at the Downing Centre on Thursday.
They were supported by their families as they waited to find out whether they would be remanded in custody, under recently introduced legislation.
Sweeney and Moussa were charged with supplying a commercial quantity of drugs, knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime, knowingly directing activities of a criminal group, supplying an indictable to commercial quantity of drugs and not complying with a Covid direction.
In documents tendered to court, the police investigation identified the men allegedly knowingly directed the activities of a criminal drug network between May 28 last year until their arrest on July 16.
Police allege they supplied 591.80 grams of cocaine, which is more than a commercial quantity.
Moussa allegedly dealt with $32,00o in cash, deemed to be the proceeds of crime, while Sweeney dealt with $11,545.
Police said the men’s actions were “organised and ongoing”, the documents said.
Moussa is disputing the amount of drugs he supplied, the cash and his role in the network.
Sweeney and Moussa further admitted supplying 76.04grams of cocaine on July 16.
The men were also charged with not complying with a Covid-19 direction after Moussa went to Sweeney’s Caringbah house from his Merrylands home without a valid reason during the Sydney lockdown period.
Sweeney, who established Cronulla’s Water’s Edge Cafe, was granted Supreme Court bail in October last after his first application in the Local Court was denied in July.
Moussa was also granted Supreme Court bail.
In court on Thursday, the Crown prosecutor made a detention application after the men entered guilty pleas.
However, the magistrate said the fact they entered a plea did not amount to “special facts or circumstances”.
She noted there was no significantly different material tendered to her that was presented during the Supreme bail court hearing, nor did either of the men breach their bail conditions.
“Based on what I have heard, I am very hard pressed to find any special fact or circumstance that would allow this court to review the decision of the Supreme Court,” she said.
“I’m just not satisfied there are special facts or circumstances to justify the hearing of a Section 22b application.”
The men’s cases were adjourned to Sydney District Court on August 12 where they will receive a date for sentence.
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