Mudgee brothers Aaron and Nathan Muscat charged over alleged drug ring
The heavily-tattooed siblings were arrested last month, with police alleging the pair ran a drug syndicate stretching all the way from Sydney to Mudgee.
Police & Courts
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Two brothers have been charged with allegedly running a family drug ring, in which the older sibling in the city would send drugs to his brother back in the country to distribute.
Nathan Luke Muscat, 31, and Aaron Muscat, 21, were arrested last month during dawn raids at three properties in Mudgee, in the state‘s central west, and one at Rouse Hill, in western Sydney.
Police allege the brothers were jointly in control of the syndicate which supplied cocaine and MDMA to partygoers in the country town where they grew up.
It is alleged that Nathan - who lived in Sydney - used Australia Post to send the drugs to Aaron - who would then distribute them in Mudgee.
Aaron’s girlfriend Bree Gisbourne, 21, was also arrested as part of the sting, with police to allege in court she helped in the supply chain.
NSW Police Superintendent Peter McKenna said that investigations by Strike Force Grandi indicated that over the 12 months the syndicate had been operating, it had allegedly supplied close to $100,000 worth of drugs.
“It will be alleged that drugs, in particular cocaine and MDMA, were being supplied in that town by a small number of persons working together,” Supt McKenna said.
“The two male persons we will allege were working together to supply the prohibited drugs in the Mudgee township, not only in person but utilising Australia Post.”
Nathan Muscat was charged with six counts of supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis, supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug, sending controlled drugs by post and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
His younger brother Aaron was charged with supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, six counts of supplying prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis, two counts of supplying prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis, three counts of sending a controlled drug by post and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
The 21-year-old was also charged with possessing a firearm.
Before their arrests the two Muscat brothers regularly wrapped their heavily-tattooed arms around each in social media photos.
After his arrest Nathan faced Blacktown Local Court where he was refused bail.
At the same time but several hundred kilometres away, Aaron was fronting Mudgee Local Court.
The younger sibling was also refused bail and is due to return to Mudgee Local Court on May 19.
He will be joined in court that day by Gisbourne, who was not remanded in custody after her arrest and granted conditional police bail.
Supt McKenna said the group had been under surveillance for around a year before police finally pounced.
“We’ll allege that the drugs were being sent from one syndicate member to another, and then being distributed in the Mudgee township,” he said.
“The investigation has been going for about a year. It started because we had some concerns and intelligence from the community, about drug supply in the Mudgee area.
“Once we bought into the investigation through the various techniques that we needed to, we uncovered this alleged syndicate.”
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