Ryan Suri-Tucker allowed his spare room to be used as drug enterprises head office, court told

This young bartender allowed a room in his house to be used as the head office of an online drug empire making $25,000 a day, a court has heard.

Ryan Suri-Tucker is one of three people charged over a multi-million dollar dark web drug operation.

A young bartender was paid $5000 a month to let a room in his rental property to a sophisticated drug operation netting $25,000 a day, a court has heard.

Ryan Suri-Tucker, pleaded guilty to 14 drug trafficking charges from his involvement in “Underline Cost” – a dark web drug enterprise run by former police officer Tom Booker.

On Tuesday, David Edwardson KC, for Suri-Tucker, told District Court Judge Geraldine Davison that his client was a prime candidate for a merciful sentence.

The court heard Suri-Tucker had been struggling to pay the rent at his Kings Park property when he allowed Booker to rent a room.

Ryan Suri-Tucker.

Former police officer Tom Booker.

Suri-Tucker was using drugs recreationally but, unlike Booker, did not have a drug habit.

Rather he was motivated by profit.

The court heard he had initially started working for Booker processing cryptocurrency transactions for $250 a week.

However, he quickly discovered the real heart of Booker’s business was the online purchase of drugs wholesale and then selling them in smaller batches online.

During an early bail app for the pair the Adelaide Magistrates Court heard that the operation was netting up to $25,000 a day.

Booker was putting a good deal of the profits up his nose as he sought to fund a $10,000 a week cocaine habit.

The pair were arrested in November 2021 when police raided the Kings Park property after an investigation into Booker’s activities.

Detectives located large quantities of drugs in the process of being sorted and placed in packages and an online ledger which showed in detail where the drugs were being sent.

Booker, 28, pleaded guilty to more than 50 charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Suri-Tucker was only charged with the offences from the day of the raid.

Mr Edwardson said one of the few fortunate outcomes of the arrests was that his client was not a serious repeat offender because all his crimes occurred on one day.

Under SA legislation, serious repeat offenders must serve at least four fifths of any prison sentence behind bars.

Mr Edwardson asked the court to consider imposing a merciful non-parole period which would allow Suri-Tucker to rehabilitate in the community and become a productive member of society.

“The court can have great confided that this was an aberration by my client,” he said.

The court heard that Suri-Tucker had been mere weeks away from finishing a university bridging course when his bail was revoked in October last year.

Both men will be sentenced in April.

Originally published as Ryan Suri-Tucker allowed his spare room to be used as drug enterprises head office, court told