Methamphetamine dealer Naser Turki sentenced in Darwin

A Jordanian-born drug runner from Queensland has been taken into protective custody due to receiving multiple threats from his NT prison inmates, who believe he has ‘Middle Eastern connections’ and ‘vast sums of money’.

NT Police arrested Naser Turki and seized 3kg of methamphetamine in December.

An interstate drug dealer, who is being targeted by Northern Territory prison inmates, has been told he will need to endure at least another two years behind bars.

In December 2024, Queensland man Naser Turki, 26, received a 3kg package of methamphetamine from an unknown source in Brisbane.

Through an online platform, Turki organised to supply the batch to a Darwin-based customer.

He then caught a bus from Brisbane to Darwin, intending to hand over the batch.

Turki travelled from Brisbane to Darwin, where he agreed to hand over the package of methamphetamines to a contact at Casuarina Shopping Centre. Picture: Facebook

However, police became aware of the deal while executing a search warrant at a home in Woolner, where a 29-year-old co-accused was arrested.

After accessing the co-accused’s mobile device, undercover police organised to meet up with Turki in Casuarina.

On December 10, Turki met up with the undercover police officer in the carpark of Casuarina Shopping Centre, with the methamphetamine packed into a black suitcase.

Police then swarmed the location and arrested Turki, who has been in custody since.

The methamphetamine had an estimated street value of $802k.

The court heard Turki had been promised $10k for delivering the package.

NT Corrections have put Turki into protective custody due to threats made by other inmates.

At the NT Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon, Turki’s lawyer, Peter Maley, said his client had become a target within the prison walls.

“Particularly in recent times, he’s been stood over, other prisoners think he’s a wealthy drug dealer,” he said.

“(They think) he’s got vast sums of money and Middle Eastern connections and demanding protection money from him.”

It was heard “multiple threats” and a physical altercation with another prisoner resulted in Turki being moved into protective custody.

In the dock, Turki could be seen trembling and wiping away his tears as his prison experiences were told to the court.

The court heard Turki has been convicted for offences before. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

As for Turki’s background, it was heard the Queenslander was born in Jordan and moved to Australia when he was nine.

Turki had “various employments” after year 12, including working on a chicken farm and as a forklift driver.

Turki has three convictions for possessing dangerous drugs – the most recent committed in 2021 when he was found with 1.8kgs of cannabis which he intended to smuggle to Rockhampton from Brisbane.

At the time, he was sentenced to nine months imprisonment which was wholly suspended.

In handing down her sentence, Judge Sonia Brownhill noted Turki had never been in prison before and his NT prison experience had been “wake up call”.

“You are still a relatively young man,” she said.

“There is still time to turn your life around.”

Turki was sentenced to four years, eight months imprisonment backdated to December 10, 2024.

The sentence will be suspended after two years and four months.

Originally published as Methamphetamine dealer Naser Turki sentenced in Darwin