Alexander Larrain sentenced over massive drug trafficking operation

Police found an array of drugs and more than $1.2 million in cash in his Williamstown home.

A Williamstown man who became involved in a major drug syndicate to repay drug debts has been sentenced to 16 years behind bars.

Alexander Javier Larrain, 48, was sentenced for five charges of trafficking large, commercial quantities of drugs, drug possession charges and refusing to provide a pin to police in the Melbourne County Court on Wednesday.

The court heard police began investigating the father of two for drug trafficking in 2020.

But during the investigation it became apparent that he was not only dealing drugs from his Williamstown North rental home, but was also using a storage facility on Kororoit Creek Road for illegal activity.

Judge Richard Maidment said a search warrant executed at the Jim’s Self Storage unit on April 8, 2020, with police uncovering seven boxes.

Each contained 30 litres of clear liquid, later revealed to be 1,4-Butanediol.

A further warrant was obtained to search Larrain’s home, where police found three chequebooks with details of drug deals, more than $1.2 million in cash and plastic ziplock bags containing drugs including methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, MDMA and cannabis.

Police also found a cash counting machine, vacuum sealing machine and mobile phones at the house.

Judge Maidment said analysis of the drugs seized from both locations as well as the transactions Larrain had recorded amounted to more than 21kg of meth, 3kg of MDMA, more than 3.5kg of cocaine, almost 2kg of heroin and almost 200kg of Butanediol.

He referred to the defence’s acceptance that the offending was “serious and persistent” and that his role in the criminal enterprise was described as “the risk-taking role of a hands-on handler for those higher in the structure of large quantities of narcotics and cash.

“This role was not mere storage but involved collecting and counting money and receiving packaging and handling and handing over narcotics.”

Judge Maidment said Larrain’s offending was “motivated by profit” and he agreed to traffic drugs to pay down his substantial drug and other debts, while having access to a rent free home with access to drugs.

Though he noted Larrain, who has previous criminal convictions, spiralled into more serious drug abuse after a marriage breakdown.

Judge Maidment said he had “rarely, if ever” received so many character references which collectively spoke so highly of a person in the context of admitted serious drug offending.

In forming a sentence he took into account Larrain’s personal circumstances, early guilty plea, remorse and his efforts at engaging with mental health and substance abuse programs in prison.

He has been working as a groundskeeper, in the kitchen and laundries in prison, the court heard, meaning he was a “trusted prisoner”, though his time in custody had been difficult due to COVID and required lengthy and consistent periods of isolation.

While noting his prospects for rehabilitation were “reasonably good” despite his history of drug abuse, Judge Maidment said the offending needed to be denounced.

He sentenced Larrain to 16 years in prison, with a non-parole period of nine years and nine months.

His 834 days in pre-sentenced detention were reckoned as time served.