Drug kingpin allegedly used supplements business as a front to traffick drugs, court hears

AN ACCUSED drug kingpin allegedly used his supplements business as a front to traffick drugs on the dark web, a court has heard.

Paul Schembri is charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs.

AN ACCUSED drug kingpin allegedly used his supplements business as a front to traffick drugs on the dark web in what has been described by a magistrate as a “sophisticated and devious” operation.

Police allege Paul Schembri, 26, used fake identification and paperwork to set up multiple bank accounts, credit cards and post office boxes under different names to peddle the drugs.

Ice, ecstasy, cocaine, GHB and prescription medication were among the masses of drugs he allegedly stored in two storage units in Cheltenham and Mordialloc.

Police claim the Parkdale man had turned the storage facilities into a mini distribution centre for the drugs.

Mr Schembri, 26, on a recent holiday with his fiance, Jade Brown.

Mr Schembri has refused to co-operate with investigators since they arrested him in the Southland shopping centre carpark on October 11.

Hours earlier officers had seized some $250,000 worth of drugs in raids on the storage units.

Police allege they also found two fake driver’s licences bearing Mr Schembri’s image — but under the names, Jack Clark and Edward Barnes.

Post office boxes, credit cards and bank accounts were also uncovered under these false names.

When police visited the suburban PO boxes, parcels sent from overseas containing illicit drugs were waiting to be collected.

Mr Schembri is facing 21 charges, including multiple counts of trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs of dependence and making and using false documents.

Mr Schembri was supported in court by his fiance, Jade Brown.

Senior Constable Thomas Schmidt, from Caulfield’s Divisional Response Unit, told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where Mr Schembri was attempting to get bail, that more charges were likely as investigations continued.

“It’s believed these digital devices will expose further evidence of drug trafficking,” he alleged.

Sen-Constable Schmidt opposed Mr Schembri’s release back into the community saying they were serious charges and his capability to access false documents made him a flight risk.

Magistrate Peter Mealy refused bail and curiously asked: “Why does someone need so many identities?”

“A red herring has been raised about the source of the drugs. He’s declined to give passwords — one has to wonder why.

“He has a number of bank accounts, multiple post office boxes. It all goes to paint a picture of a sophisticated and devious methodology.”

When Mr Schembri’s friend, Blake Sey, offered $50,000 of his savings as a surety, Mr Mealy questioned him about what he thought his mate did for work.

Mr Sey explained that Mr Schembri, who he had known since high school, ran an online supplements business, selling multivitamins and immune and memory boosters.

He was surprised by the allegations being made against his friend.

But the magistrate said while that would seem like a lot of money to Mr Sey, it was “small bickies” to the court.

Mr Schembri’s fiance, Jade Brown, 27, whose name the Mordialloc storage facility was rented under, was also in court to support him.

She was questioned over the drug operation but released without charge.

Mr Schembri will return to court on January 8.