Aspendale dad Paul Rodgerson pleads guilty to trafficking marketable quantity of MDMA
A tech-savvy Aspendale dad has been exposed as the mastermind behind the ‘Flying Kangaroo’ gang which sold Qantas logo stamped ecstasy via the dark web.
South East
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An Aspendale dad has been revealed as the ringleader of a drug gang which manufactured and peddled ecstasy via the dark web.
Paul Rodgerson, 41, fronted the County Court this week after pleading guilty to charges including trafficking a marketable quantity of MDMA.
Rodgerson ran drug gang ‘The Flying Kangaroo’ for several months until his arrest in November 2016.
Federal authorities latched onto Rodgerson and his crew after discovering a Flying Kangaroo advert on dark net site Dream Market.
The advert read: “The time has come for Flying Kangaroo to resurface and bring back the quality and value that our previous buyers are used too (sic.). WE apologise for laying low for so long but we are now back and ready to service your needs......”
Covert operative ‘Red Bandit’ purchased the gang’s signature Qantas logo stamped flying kangaroo ecstasy via Wickr, Dream Market and dark web site AlphaBay.
FBI evidence revealed 72 separate buyers — not including Red Bandit — purchased 3130 Flying Kangaroo tablets via AlphaBay using Bitcoin at a combined value of almost $32,000 USD.
Red Bandit also discussed a new batch of ecstasy called ‘FK 2.0’ with Rodgerson via his Wickr handle ‘NSVD’.
The court was told Flying Kangaroo advertised ecstasy for sale on dark web site Silk Road 2 as early as 2014.
Crony Robert Olczyk manufactured the ecstasy at a Moorabbin factory leased by Rodgerson.
The Keys Rd factory fronted as a storage facility for Rodgerson’s company.
Rodgerson and Olczyk were arrested on November 23, 2016.
Investigators seized evidence at Rodgerson’s Aspendale home, the Keys Rd factory and Olczyk’s rented Moorabbin home.
Police also found images of kangaroo-stamped ecstasy on Rodgerson’s phone.
The prosecution submitted Rodgerson held a “superior, cerebral, secretive and secure” role within the crew.
The gang sought to purchase pill presses and had dealings with manufacturers in China, the court heard.
Rodgerson was also linked to the purchase of blue food colouring used to dye the distinctive tablets.
The court heard Rodgerson had “major online input” related to the ordering process and “after sales liaison” with Chinese ecstasy production equipment suppliers.
Rodgerson, who denied dealing drugs, told police he had worked in IT and was “technically savvy”.
Rodgerson, who claimed to “not be a regular user of the dark net”, told police he was aware drugs were sold on the dark web.
He said those who hosted dark net websites were “pretty on the ball” and “enjoying the buzz”.
“Feeling powerful... they like that feeling,” Rodgerson said.
“I guess they’re committing crimes but, you know, they don’t consider it as a criminal act but you guys do, so — it is what it is.”
Rodgerson confirmed he had seen the name “Flying Kangaroo” on the dark net.
He said Flying Kangaroo was “one of the four main guys selling stuff that came up” but claimed to know “nothing” about “him”.
Rodgerson also refused investigators access to his devices.
“You don’t need access to all of my information,” Rodgerson said.
“I’m not involved in this network or whatever you’ve got going on here.
I don’t know anything about it and I’m not going to be involved in it.”
Olczyc was Rodgerson’s “hands-on” operative in charge of manufacture and distribution in Victoria.
The lackey imported multiple small packages of MDMA powder from Germany to post office boxes scattered across Australia.
Olczyc received orders for ecstasy then used false ID to mail the drugs to customers.
He operated a clandestine laboratory at his Gwenda Ave home and two pill presses at the factory.
Investigators seized 200 ecstasy tablets, $15,000 and drug making equipment, and more than 300 grams of pure MDMA was discovered inside DVD cases in a safe at the factory.
Olczyc was jailed in October last year to a maximum nine years’ and eight months after pleading guilty to importing, trafficking and manufacturing MDMA.
Judge Michael Tinney said during sentencing that Olczyc was “up to (his) neck in serious criminality”.
“You were a high level trusted player here,” he said.
“Financial gain is the obvious motivation here. This was a highly complicated scheme and deliberately so to reduce the risk of apprehension.”
The AFP investigation deepened after Western Australian Flying Kangaroo “state manager” Jake Wood was arrested in 2015.
Judge Tinney said Olczyc held a similar role to Wood in the operation.
“You were not the architect of the scheme but you knew of it, your acts were undercover of that structure and there were many acts,” he said.
Wood was sentenced in the Western Australian Supreme court in 2016 to six years’ and six months’ prison with a non-parole period of four years.
Rodgerson, who also pleaded guilty to possess substance to manufacture drug, MDMA possession and failure to comply with order to assist police, had his bail extended until the matter returns to court on January 27.
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