John “Jack” Allen, Hamish Mark Le Poer Trench and Thomas James Elmes face Scone Local Court on drug charges
Three Hunter Valley businessmen charged over alleged cocaine supply have made their first appearances in court
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Prominent Hunter Valley licensee John “Jack” Allen allegedly allowed cocaine to be sold within his popular Scone pub for more than five months before his arrest earlier this year, court documents state.
Allen, 37, is one of three Scone businessmen who were due to make their first court appearance on Wednesday after being charged by Strike Force Banks detectives in the lead-up to the town’s massive cup carnival in May.
The Thoroughbred Hotel publican, whose full name is John William Allen but is known as Jack, and Hamish Mark Le Poer Trench, 42, both briefly faced Scone Local Court while Thomas James Elmes, 30, had his matter mentioned without an appearance.
Hunter Valley detectives established Strike Force Banks in December to investigate the alleged supply of prohibited drugs in the Scone area.
Court documents allege Allen supplied cocaine “on three or more separate occasions” between December 3 and December 11 last year.
The ongoing supply charge is one of 11 drug-related counts that Allen is facing.
He also faces one count of being a licensee permitting the sale of a suspected drug, with court documents alleging he permitted the supply of cocaine between December 1 and May 11.
Allen also faces one count of being a licensee permitting the possession or use of cocaine between December 4 and May 11.
The other drug-related charges include three counts of supplying a small quantity of cocaine and three counts of possessing cocaine.
Those offences are alleged to have been committed in December.
Allen is also facing one count of allegedly having two packets of 10 tablets of the prescription medication Tadalafil.
He has not been required to enter any pleas to the drug charges.
Allen did plead not guilty to five unrelated charges, including two counts of assault and one count each of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, being a licensee permitting violence on a licensed premises and being a licensee permitting intoxication on a licensed premises.
All of those charges allegedly relate to an incident on August 7 last year.
His bail was continued and he will reappear in Muswellbrook Local Court on July 19.
Le Poer Trench faced three charges, including knowingly taking part in the supply of cocaine.
He has also not been required to enter pleas to two drug possession charges after police allegedly seized cannabis and an ounce of cocaine when they arrested Le Poer Trench and Elmes at Barangaroo on May 11.
Elmes faces two charges relating to the alleged possession of the cocaine at Barangaroo and knowingly taking part in the supply of cocaine between November and May.
He has not been required to enter any pleas.
Le Poer and Elmes, who are both on bail, will face Scone Local Court again on July 13.
Bikie’s tighty whitey drug stash uncovered after dunny assault
A fight night bathroom assault at a Newcastle club led cops to the home of a nominee Nomads bikie, where officers then uncovered drugs and cash, some of which was stashed in his undies.
Passenger’s alleged undies package worth $400k on the street
Police allege it was the odd driving along a tiny suburban lane a few hours after midnight which first raised their eyebrows, before some questions got their full attention – 250g of ice stuffed down a passenger’s pants.