Inpex worker allegedly moonlighted as a key player in Darwin cocaine syndicate

AN  Inpex worker allegedly moonlighting as a key player in a Darwin cocaine syndicate spent her first night in jail last night after being arrested when detectives asked her to come into the station for a “chat”

Damien Barbi and Emma Edbrooke have both been remanded on major drug importation charges. Picture: Facebook

AN  Inpex worker allegedly moonlighting as a key player in a Darwin cocaine syndicate spent her first night in jail after being arrested on Monday when detectives asked her to come into the station for a “chat”.

Emma Edbrooke, 34, was refused bail in Darwin Local Court on a charge of conspiracy to import a marketable quantity of cocaine.

Judge John Neill said she had “walked into the lion’s den … having gone to assist police with their investigation”.

Edbrooke’s boyfriend, Damien Barbi, was arrested last week on related charges and remanded in custody on Friday after not applying for bail.

The couple and another man are alleged to have imported more than 700g of Colombian cocaine.

Defence lawyer Peter Maley said Edbrooke, who has no criminal history, would show up to court when required if granted bail.

Crown Prosecutor David Morters said Edbrooke had no ties to the community and the police case against her was largely built on phone intercepts and evidence from listening devices.

Mr Morters said Edbrooke and Barbi had once transferred $5000 each overseas to purchase drugs, presumably to avoid having to report the transfer as they would if they had sent $10,000 in a single transaction.

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In refusing bail, Mr Neill said the allegations against Edbrooke appeared strong.

The court heard police surveillance tracked Edbrooke sending $20,000 to Barbi’s Perth-based legal team last week.

Edbrooke had also been recorded talking to Barbi on the phone about selling “more” drugs in Perth.

“Not ‘some’, ‘more’,” Mr Neill said.

In a recorded conversation Barbi allegedly told Edbrooke he would go to Perth to pay down a drug debt to get a syndicate off “our back”.

Mr Neill said the evidence suggested Edbrooke was an active player in the syndicate.

She will return to court in September.