Mark Pentecost convicted of dealing ice on the south coast after police tipped off by informant

An unemployed south coast father has been found guilty of drug supply after cops found $8000 worth of ice hidden in his house and down his undies.

A south coast father has been convicted of dealing ice after police raided his home in May and found a stash of the drug hidden in his underwear.

Mark Pentecost, 47, from Berrambool north of Merimbula, was found guilty in Bega Local Court on November 2 to supplying a prohibited drug, dealing with the proceeds of crime and possessing a prohibited weapon after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Police withdrew a second charge of supplying a prohibited drug.

Mark Pentecost will be sentenced next month in Bega Local Court.

The court heard almost 5g of the drug was found in a bag hidden inside Pentecost’s underwear and he total street value of the drug found by police in Pentecost’s home totalled almost $8000.

More than 100 small plastic bags, two scales and drug paraphernalia were also found at the home, the court heard, which Pentecost told the court he had to separate the drug in amounts he would later mix in the bag before injecting.

He also told the court the scales were to make sure he didn’t get “ripped off” by his supplier who he refused to name in open court.

Pentecost said he was in the process of “splitting” the drug into bags at the time of the raid and admitted to using between half a gram and a gram of ice per day but denied selling to others.

Mark Pentecost was convicted of drug supply in Bega Local Court. Picture: Google Maps

Magistrate Doug Dick told the court, the fact throwing knives, multiple mobile phones and $1300 in cash were found during the search warrant showed the 14.57 grams of the drug found by police was not for Pentecost’s personal use as he had claimed.

“With a jigsaw, you don’t need every piece of the puzzle to see the bigger picture,” Magistrate Dick said.

He also said Pentecost’s DNA was found inside small bags containing quantities of ice.

The court heard a registered informant had told police Pentecost’s home was being used as a drug house, prompting the search.

Pentecost’s weekly drug budget for his habit was higher than his Centrelink unemployment payments, the court heard.

“Since I was raided I haven’t been using,” Pentecost said.

“It’s a bit hard to buy it when you don’t have any money.”

Pentecost’s lawyer Tony Cullinan told the court no evidence provided by the informant had been handed to the defence, adding while his client was a “heavy user” of the drug he subsidised payments by selling car parts on the side.

He told the court Pentecost sold car parts to pay for the drugs, which he had purchased the night before the raid.

Pentecost had his bail continued and will be sentenced on December 14.