Drug dealer brothers Andrew Hourigan and Christopher Hourigan plead guilty to drug trafficking
A coke-dealing former posh schoolboy led police to his older bro’s drug racket but which of the Brothers Dim went to jail?
South East
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A Melbourne drug dealer busted after his coke-peddling younger brother led undercover cops right to his doorstep has avoided further jail time.
Christopher Hourigan, 29, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to time served – 30 days – after pleading guilty to trafficking butanediol 1,4.
Younger brother Andrew Hourigan, 23, who pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, also avoided further jail time after he was sentenced to time served – 22 days.
The younger Hourigan lobbed on the police radar first after he sold drugs to an undercover cop in October last year.
Police targeted Hourigan junior after investigators established the Wesley College graduate was slinging cocaine via drug dealing website Leafedout.
The court heard dealers peddled drugs via Leafedout using codenames including “Charlie” for cocaine, ‘Indica” for cannabis and “M” for MDMA.
Hourigan junior, under the Wickr alias Upthetren1, sold more than 155g of cocaine to undercover police between October 20 and January 25 this year.
The multiple deals, which went down at various Melbourne suburbs including Oakleigh, Malvern East and Bentleigh, totalled $15,000.
Hourigan junior also offered to sell 112g of cocaine in a single deal to an undercover cop for $34,000 but the transaction never went through.
Hourigan also communicated with police via Wickr, telling an undercover cop he was “packing the gear” just prior to a deal.
Investigators, who tailed Hourigan throughout Melbourne, caught the Hansel and Gretel trail the coke dealer left to his older brother’s Frankston North drug racket.
Police pounced and arrested Hourigan junior at his parents’ Malvern East home just before 5am on January 27 this year.
Investigators seized steroids, almost 40g of 1,4 butanediol, almost 100g of cannabis, cocaine and MDMA.
Police also raided Hourigan senior’s Mulberry Crescent drug cave at exactly the same time.
Investigators seized more than 2.3kg of bute, almost 70g of meth, 50g of cocaine, MDMA, ecstasy, various steroids, $3260 cash and more than 3kg of cannabis.
Hourigan senior, who pleaded guilty to trafficking bute and cultivating cannabis, was also nabbed with cannabis growing equipment, seedlings under heat lamps and instructions on how to grow weed.
The older Hourigan, who denied police access to his mobile phone and laptop, and his younger brother both gave “no comment” interviews.
The Hourigan boys grew up in a family of “educated individuals”, with both parents retired school teachers while dad also worked as university lecturer, the court was told.
The court heard the brothers’ other siblings enjoyed successful careers but Christopher, who completed VCE at Wesley College, and Andrew, who also completed VCE, were unemployed at the time of the offending.
Christopher Farrington, for Hourigan junior, told the court his client found himself in an “environment” which was “entirely foreign” and “entirely objectionable” to the family.
Mr Farrington submitted an expert report which stated his client’s decision-making was affected following a brain tumour diagnosis at age 8 and linked to his drug trafficking.
“In the opinion of (the expert) the organic brain syndrome … has degraded his ability to make sound judgment,” Mr Farrington said.
“Andrew Hourigan is someone who lacked the ability to have the foresight and the recognition of the consequences, obviously he knew what he was doing was wrong, we don’t say it doesn’t amount to anything further than that.”
However, Judge Michael McInerney blew that submission out of the water almost as soon as it left the gates.
“It doesn’t sound to me like he lacked any ability,” Judge McInerney said during last month’s plea hearing.
“He’s made an organisation of trafficking he’s using the internet to protect himself, he’s in each instance communicated with persons, in each instance he’s used a different drop-off.
“It doesn't like to me he’s got any difficulties in thinking, he was very absolutely smart in protecting what he did.
“I can’t see any basis that indicates he lacks sound judgment.”
“The offending itself would be indicative of lacking sound judgment,” Mr Farrington responded.
“Well you can say that for any criminality, any person who commits a crime you can say that about …,” Judge McInerney fired back.
“What relationship has the (brain tumour) at age 8 got to do with drug trafficking at age 22.”
Chris Pearson, for Hourigan senior, told the court his client grew up happy and the “world was at his feet” despite living a “sheltered existence”.
“He moved into his home in Frankston North and this sort of storm developed,” Mr Pearson said.
“He was working, he was doing well, he was happy, he was content, he was motivated, the pandemic hits and hits everybody but it hits people who are isolated … in a more serious way that who are well supported …
“He’s unemployed for the first time in his life … he commences drug use … heavy drug use … in circumstances where he is home alone … the police start looking at him as a result of his brother.”
Mr Pearson also referred to his client’s Frankston North home as a drug “supermarket” before backtracking on the statement.
“There’s certainly a lot of items there,” Judge McInerney said.
Hourigan senior was also handed a two-year community correction order while younger brother was handed a three-year order.
Judge McInerney warned both Hourigans to “bring their toothbrush” if he saw them again.
