Promising motorcycle star Hunter Ford facing drug supply charges after police raid in Anna Bay
Hunter Ford — who was supposed to be starting a lucrative two-year stint in Europe in April as he sought to break into world championship races — is instead facing the prospect of a lengthy jail term after being accused of a range of drug supply charges.
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Nomad bikie jailed for terrifying unit shooting
- ‘They were going to start a family’ Couple presumed dead in NZ
An emerging motorcycling star has found himself languishing in a jail cell after being charged over a significant ecstasy supply ring with tentacles across the Hunter and New England.
Hunter Ford — who was supposed to be starting a lucrative two-year stint in Europe in April as he sought to break into world championship races — is instead facing the prospect of a lengthy jail term after being accused of a range of drug supply charges.
They include two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.
Each of those charges attracts a maximum jail term of 20 years.
Port Stephens-Hunter drug squad detectives swooped on Ford’s Anna Bay home on Friday morning following an investigation spanning several months.
During the search warrant, detectives allegedly seized almost 12 grams of ecstasy.
But it is the allegations of supplying the commercial quantities of the drug that are the most significant.
Police will allege Mr Ford, 20, was at the centre of a supply ring which reached across sections of the Hunter and into the New England region of NSW.
Further arrests are expected to be made.
Along with the commercial supply charges, Mr Ford also faces four counts of supplying an indictable amount of ecstasy, two counts of supplying a prohibited drug and one count of possession involving the 11.94 grams of ecstasy allegedly seized from his home.
Mr Ford faced Newcastle Bail Court on Saturday where he was remanded in custody to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday.
The charges are expected to have significant ramifications for Mr Ford’s immediate racing career.
In a December 3 media release announcing his signing with the Nutec RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki team, Mr Ford was celebrated as a two-time Australian Yamaha R3 Cup champion.
The release said Mr Ford had been involved in support races during the Australian Grand Prix on Phillip Island.
Mr Ford had signed with the team for two years from 2020, with team manager Rob Vennegoor saying in the December 3 announcement that he hoped Mr Ford would “become the next successful Australian rider in our team”.
“I’m very happy to race [the] next two years with Hunter Ford,’’ Mr Vennegoor said in the release.
“He is fast, talented and has a lot of motivation to do it well in Europe.
“In 2020 the focus will be on the IDM Supersport300 championship, but we have bigger plans with him as the World Supersport 300 championship is the goal for 2021.’’
It was unclear whether the team had been made aware of the allegations since Ford’s arrest.