Druggie tradie: Jarryd Scott rents out Airbnb to store 20kg of 1,4 butanediol
A Melbourne tradie who claims he made a million dollars on the tools was ready to go into business on his own — but in the drug trafficking business.
South East
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A Melbourne tradie who claimed he “earned a million dollars” in a year rented an Airbnb in a southeast suburb to store more than 20 litres of drugs there for an “attempted” criminal venture.
Jarryd Scott, 35, appeared in County Court on Thursday, where it was heard that on September 8, 2022, police searched a Wantirna South home and found 18.2g of 1,4 butanediol and fraudulent debit cards.
Officers then found Scott, a scaffolder, at a Donvale workplace and searched his work truck.
They discovered 1.7g of methamphetamine and seized a phone which contained messages to do with drug trafficking.
The device had pictures on it of 1,4 butanediol bottles: in one instance more than 60 purple bottles were laid out to spell “1,4 B”.
The court heard Scott also used a false name to rent an Airbnb in Patterson Lake and use it to store more than 20kg of 1,4 butanediol.
Police found the drug kept in various bottles at the address, which another person was minding, after a co-accused told them there was “at least 20 litres of juice” there.
When interviewed by police, Scott said he did not sell the substance, but gave it away.
The court heard he said it had taken him a couple of years to collect such a quantity of 1,4 butanediol and that he declined offers to sell it because he “made over a million dollars last year”.
Scott’s lawyer Ms Greener said her client was seeking to supplement his income to fund a methamphetamine habit.
She said the ease of obtaining 1,4 butanediol was a factor in her client’s possession of it, and that Scott had relapsed into drug use after the death of a family member.
Scott pleaded guilty to trafficking a drug of dependence in a commercial quantity, two charges of possessing a drug of dependence, and summary charges including dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
Judge Damian Murphy said Scott had been “ready to go with a trafficking business”.
“I suppose you could say it was an attempted business,” he said.
Scott’s case will continue on Friday.
He has spent 406 days in custody.
