Scott Alexander Edwards fronts court over drug bust

The lure of $8000 payday from a crime kingpin got a 75-year-old with Parkinson’s disease on a cross-country drug run from South Australia to Victoria.

Scott Alexander Edwards leaves the County Court after pleading guilty to trafficking in a drug of dependance.

A 75-year-old drug-running pensioner has admitted his role in a cross-country smuggling operation in return for $8000 that he never received.

Scott Alexander Edwards of Hayborough, south of Adelaide, pleaded guilty in the County Court in Melbourne on Monday to one charge of trafficking in a drug of dependence, namedly butanediol

Two others, drug kingpin and boss of the powerful Notorious Crime family gang George Marrogi and his lover Antionetta Mannella have fessed up to their roles in the offending.

A fourth person and Edwards’ nephew Kurt Opray will go on trial in County Court next month on a charge of trafficking in a large commercial quantity of a drug of dependence.

A timber pallet containing four metal drums with one containing butanediol was aboard a truck driven by Scott Alexander Edwards that police intercepted at Horsham.

As part of its investigation, police intercepted coded conversations between the offenders and Mr Opray between December 2021 and January 2022.

Edwards departed Adelaide with steel drums containing the drugs on January 24, 2022 and was stopped by police in Horsham.

One of the drums contained 347 litres of industrial solvent 1,4 butanediol.

The prosecution case is Marrogi was owed a debt of $1.5m by a person who has since left Australia and has not been charged.

Marrogi and Mannella organised the drug dealing and the latter’s role was to recover the debt by sourcing the 1,4 butanediol and arranging for it to be sold by others.

Mr Opray allegedly organised for his uncle to transport the drugs to Victoria in exchange for $8000, plus expenses.

Scott Alexander Edwards agreed to transport the drugs from South Australia to Victoria.

Edwards told police he was aware there were drugs in the barrel but not the precise quantity.

His lawyer Markorius Habib told the County Court on Monday that Edwards described himself as “naïve and foolish” for offering to transport the drugs for $8000 which he didn’t receive.

Edwards, who has Parkinson’s disease, said Edwards was losing mobility in his limbs and would suffer additional hardship if he was sent to jail.

Mr Habib said Edwards knew he was doing something wrong but didn’t know the amount or what kind of drugs he was transporting.

The prosecution called for a custodial sentence, saying Edwards’ motivation was purely money.

Edwards will return to court on May 2.