Why Caringbah man dealt drugs at Sydney music festival
A Sydney man has narrowly avoided prison after police caught him in the act of making a drug deal at an electronic music festival.
St George Shire Standard
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A man caught red-handed with 69 pills and thousands of dollars in cash at a festival after Sydney’s deadly, drug-fuelled summer of live music has said he only dealt drugs to try and fit in with his peers.
Richard Seymour, 22, narrowly avoided jail after he pleaded guilty to two counts of prohibited drug supply and dealing with the proceeds of crime and was sentenced to a 12-month prison term to be served in the community.
Seymour was about to make a deal with a prospective customer when undercover police swooped on him at Touch Bass at Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park on April 21.
After a brief struggle Seymour relinquished his grip on a single clear capsule of grey material and two $50 notes, and a search of his bag uncovered 69 capsules in total and $2335 cash.
“The accused made admissions to selling approximately 50 caps inside the festival, further stating that all of the money located in his wallet bar $600 was from selling drugs inside the festival,” agreed police facts stated.
“The accused stated the caps contained MDMA and that he was aware it was an offence to possess or supply MDMA.”
During a police interview Seymour also confessed he had more drugs at his Caringbah unit, and officers then found another 19.9g of MDMA in his bedside table.
Magistrate Megan Greenwood at Downing Centre Local Court dismissed Seymour’s solicitor’s suggestion that his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis significantly contributed to his decision to deal drugs in order to be accepted by his peers.
“You felt that when you started supplying to your friends that you were more accepted by them,” Ms Greenwood told the court.
“Sixty-nine capsules of the drug ecstasy, 19.9g at your home and $2300 proceeds of crime - this is serious offending by any measure.”
A 20-year-old Bathurst man was charged with prohibited drug supply at the same event, and police issued an additional 35 court attendance notices and 37 criminal infringement notices for drug possession.
“If you read the newspapers attitudes may well have shifted about people having possession of drugs, but they have not shifted about supply,” Ms Greenwood told the court.
Prosecutor Sergeant David Tran also denounced Seymour’s drug dealing.
“We’re dealing with this so often in court, all the time,” Mr Tran said.
“This was planned, it wasn’t spontaneous, he knew exactly what he was doing and this was done for financial gain - he put the community and his friends at risk by selling these pills for personal gain.”
Seymour was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and will not be permitted to use drugs or consume alcohol for 12 months.
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