Trial for meth trafficking
Police allege $250,000 proceeds of drug deals
A GOLD Coast man will face trial accused of trafficking methylamphetamine as part of an alleged drug ring.
Police allege they found $250,000 cash in Patrick Edmund Williams’ house made from drug deals.
In the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday, the Mudgeeraba man was committed to face trial for trafficking dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs, possessing anything used in a commission of a crime, possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence and disobedience to lawful order.
Defence lawyer Campbell MacCallum, of Moloney MacCallum Abdelshahied Lawyers, said Williams “strenuously” denies the charges.
Williams, 37, is alleged to have met Scott William Berns on at least 13 occasions and supplied “commercial quantities” of methylamphetamine to him between May 8 and August 29, 2016.
Police allege they intercepted 44 telephone calls and text messages between the two.
It is alleged the duo gave packages to “drug runners” they met in car parks of pubs across the Gold Coast to move drugs up to the Sunshine Coast.
Police raided Williams’ Mudgeeraba home on October 4, 2016 and allegedly found $205,000 cash in a safe and $55,000 cash in a backpack in a car. It is alleged four cars found at the home were used in the drug running.
Convicted drug runner Daryl Hunt yesterday told the court he met people four or five times to pick up packages to take to Berns on the Sunshine Coast.
He described one of those men he met at the Wallaby Hotel in Mudgeeraba as “about six foot tall” with a stocky build and dark hair tied in a ponytail.
Williams is a tall man with a slim build and his dark hair was cropped short.
Mr Hunt said he could not remember what any of the other men looked like.
Zachary Allan, who is serving time for drug running, told the court he had met a man called “Mitch” to pick up packages at a Mudgeeraba home, a pizza shop and a pub.
He said he later learned that was not the man’s name.
“It changed because I was made aware it wasn’t Mitch by the police I think,” he said.
Magistrate Gary Finger extended Williams’ bail and ordered he stand trial in the Supreme Court in the coming months.