Jarrod Mullen coached by alleged drug dealer how to sell cocaine
Former NRL star Jarrod Mullen built a career on training hard but, as his post-footy life spiralled out of control, he turned to another trade – cocaine dealing. Mullen, along with boxer Les Mason, are awaiting sentencing. READ THE SECRETLY RECORDED TRANSCRIPTS
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Police secretly installed hidden cameras in the house of an alleged drug kingpin that captured him training former NRL star Jarrod Mullen to be a cocaine dealer.
According to documents filed at Newcastle District Court, the former Newcastle Knights star learned the economics of the cocaine trade from accused drug syndicate leader, Matthew Pearce, who allegedly instructed the league star on the price he should sell the drug for and how they would split the profits.
The deal was simple, according to the documents tendered.
All Mullen had to do was pay a $100 deposit per gram of cocaine and evenly split the post-sale profits with Pearce, the documents said.
The former State of Origin halfback could even dilute the drug if he wanted to stretch his profits.
READ THE TRANSCRIPTS
‘Les reckons he’s got a f**ken ounce to himself’
Jarrod Mullen recorded snorting cocaine off kitchen bench
Jarrod Mullen to dealer: ‘Mate, I pay money. That’s the thing’
“What I do with all the boys is … everyone knows it costs me, ah, $100 a gram…,” Pearce was allegedly recorded telling Mullen on November 27, 2018.
“And most sell it for ($)300 or a bit more, that’s your choice if you want to cut it down.”
Mullen replied: “No, I don’t want to cut it down.”
The 32-year-old had been on a downward spiral since his NRL career ended in 2017. He later told police he turned to cocaine to make it through each day and was selling the drug to finance his own usage.
But he knew his profile brought danger.
“Just don’t f. ken tell anyone about it,” Mullen told Pearce on November 26, 2018.
“I mean, anyone.”
Pearce allegedly agreed: “No, nobody.”
But it was too late. Police were recording their conversations.
For the past three months, police had been investigating Pearce as the suspected head of a drug syndicate that smuggled cocaine, MDMA, plus other recreational and image enhancing drugs to 10 post office boxes registered under fake names.
Detectives suspected Pearce was running the operation from his West Newcastle home and wanted to know who else was involved.
In September 2018, they were granted a surveillance device warrant to monitor Pearce’s house on Beluga Dr, Cameron Park.
Mullen made five visits in one week and purchased 39 grams of cocaine, the documents said.
The details can now be revealed after they were included in a set of agreed facts tendered to the court when Mullen pleaded guilty to one count of supplying cocaine.
Mullen was originally facing four counts of the charge but prosecutors withdrew three after representations from his lawyer Paul McGirr.
When contacted, Mr McGirr said: “All I can say is that Jarrod has been at rock bottom, has done all the rehabilitation and sought professional help to get himself off this filthy stuff and he is on the way up. It’s a long road and he realises that.”
On December 3, Magistrate David Price granted an application by Mullen’s defence for him to be sentenced at Wollongong Local Court as he now lives in Illawarra.
The investigation, known as Operation Castlestead, also resulted in the arrest of boxer Les Mason, the brother of retired NRL star Willie Mason. Les Mason has pleaded guilty and is to be sentenced.
Pearce was also charged but is yet to enter a plea.
The documents said Mullen visited Pearce’s house on November 23, 2018 and bought 3 grams of cocaine for $125 a gram.
The pair ridiculed Les Mason, who still Pearce said owed him a “fair bit”.
Mullen said: “Yeah, I know, he tries to put it on you. I’m not going to do that.”
Three days later, police recorded Mullen talking with Pearce about a soon-to-arrive cocaine shipment that would cost the ex footy star $100 a gram.
A day later, Mullen returned and bought 8 grams of cocaine and was eager for news of a fresh shipment.
“Les (Mason) reckons he’s got a f. ken ounce to himself,” Mullen was recorded saying.
Pearce was recorded replying: “Les is f**ked ‘cause he was gunna get an ounce but was gunna pay with the money he was to get this week … so Les is getting nothing. Unless he can somehow come up with some coin, no one is getting any on tick.”
Mullen was recorded snorting some cocaine off the dining room table at 11.09am and 13 minutes later asked: “Can I try some of this? Are you right?”
But he needed a tool to crush the cocaine rocks.
“Have you got a card or something brother … or anything to f. kin crush that?” Mullen asked before Pearce told him to grab a knife.
Minutes later, Mullen snorted more cocaine and asked: “So have you ever had a bad batch?”
Pearce allegedly replied: “No”.
On November 29, Mullen bought another 14 grams and Pearce asked if he wanted “14 singles”, according to the court documents.
Mullen said “Just put it in one lot and I can do it myself at home” before snorting several lines off the kitchen bench.
Mullen bought another 14 grams of cocaine the following day.
He was not arrested until May 29.
In his interview with police, Mullen said he sold cocaine to finance his own habit and confessed he’d had a “drug problem ever since my career finished.”
“I spiralled out of control and was taking cocaine on a daily basis just to get through the day,” he told police. “There’d be some days where I’d have 3 grams to myself, which is a lot in half a day. I was out of control.”
His habit got so bad that his usage damaged the nerve between his nose and ear, meaning he had permanent hearing damage.
However, Mullen told police he had been drug-free since December after entering rehab. This came after he overdosed on his parents’ couch following a three-day bender.
Mullen will be sentenced in February.
Originally published as Jarrod Mullen coached by alleged drug dealer how to sell cocaine