Hinterland drug bust accused charged with selling meth to teen

A teenage boy is alleged to have been among those sold meth to by a Sunshine Coast man during an alleged region-wide drug trafficking operation, court documents reveal.

A teenage boy is alleged to have been among those sold meth to by a Sunshine Coast man during an alleged region-wide drug trafficking operation, court documents reveal. Generic image.

A teenage boy is alleged to have been one of several customers sold meth by a Sunshine Coast man accused of running a major trafficking operation out of a rural property.

The 51-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested and charged along with several others after police swooped on a heavily fortified hinterland property and uncovered an alleged speed lab after an investigation into drug trafficking on the Sunshine Coast.

The man now faces 11 charges, including four of supplying meth, two of supplying meth to a minor 16-years or older, trafficking meth, possessing marijuana, possessing property obtained from trafficking or supplying meth, possessing anything used in the commission of a crime and possessing property acquired from proceeds under the Drugs Misuse Act.

He has not entered a plea.

Court documents allege the man trafficked meth from an Sunshine Coast hinterland home from January 1, 2019 until the day of the raid in July 2022.

Within that time, he was alleged to have supplied the drug six times on June 25, July 7, July 13 and July 14.

Court documents allege teenage boy was one of several customers sold meth by a Sunshine Coast man accused of running a major trafficking operation out of a rural property between 2019 and 2022. Picture: Patrick Woods.

On two of those occasions, on July 7 and July 13, the drug was allegedly supplied to a teenage boy aged between 16 and 18, the documents state.

It was reported police alleged the man would sell the drugs to “an extended network of customers across the greater Sunshine Coast district”.

When police descended on the hinterland home, the man was allegedly caught with an undisclosed amount of marijuana, as well as a sum of money and jewellery alleged to have been obtained from the trafficking operation, the documents state.

Scales, clip seal bags, and cryovac film were also seized by police, the documents allege, as well as a car, three motorcycles and two boats reportedly docked at Mooloolaba.

The man remains in custody.

His matter was mentioned in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on May 5, and he will return to court for committal mention on June 2.

Originally published as Hinterland drug bust accused charged with selling meth to teen