Drug syndicate Punchbowl ‘runner’ Joseph Kendoh busted after dealing cocaine

A young southwestern Sydney dealer was caught after he sold 125 bags of cocaine while working as a “runner” for a highly organised criminal syndicate.

Kendoh outside Downing Centre Courthouse after he was sentenced for dealing with the proceeds of crime and two counts of supplying an indictable prohibited drug.

A young Punchbowl dealer was caught after he sold 125 bags of cocaine while working as a “runner” for a highly organised criminal syndicate.

Joseph Junior Kendoh faced Downing Centre Local Court after he pleaded guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime and two counts of supplying an indictable prohibited drug.

Magistrate Greg Grogin sentenced Kendoh to a 10-month intensive correction order in the community with a condition he complete 100 hours of community service work.

Court documents state police found Kendoh with $970 cash when the 21-year-old’s Hyundai Accent was pulled over at Coogee on January 26 last year.

Police had been investigating, under Strike Force NORTHROP23, criminal syndicates distributing cocaine and MDMA to “street-level customers” using dial-a-dealer methods.

Kendoh had sold 125 bags of cocaine while he was working for the criminal drug syndicate.

Detectives found a group who named themselves ‘Dexter’ and had runners who would deliver the drugs to customers and give the cash to the controllers of the syndicate.

Documents state the police found messages revealing the offender had sold 125 bags of cocaine, 66g in total, along with five bags of MDMA, 5g in total, in the months leading up to his arrest.

Kendoh was charged at Campsie Police Station.

Officers arrested Kendoh and charged him at Campsie Police Station in April.

Kendoh was a participant of a large sophisticated and well-organised criminal group and police were concerned he would continue to offend or flee to avoid punishment, court documents state.

During his court appearance, Mr Grogin said Kendoh was a runner in a “very organised” operation where his job was to deliver drugs around Sydney and he knew what he was doing was illegal.

“People die from drugs. Even though you were on the lowest rung of the corporation, without people like you, these organisations would not exist. If you want to get involved with drug supply you will go to jail,” he said.

Kendoh was sentence to a 10-month intensive corrections order. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

“You are a young man, all the bad things you’ve heard about prison are true,” he said. “You need to put this all behind you, this does not form part of your future.”

Mr Grogin said Kendoh was worried about money and he had no previous criminal record. He wrote an apology letter to the court but lacked character reference letters because he was too embarrassed to tell anyone about the offending.

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