CASH IN A HOLE
MAN IN CUSTODY TELLS SON TO FIND BURIED MONEY
A MAN who was allegedly found with $2 million in drugs and $194,000 in cash in his car contacted his son while in jail to retrieve $100,000 buried in Brisbane, a court has heard.
Logan man Paul Lindsay Barclay, 52, has been charged with five offences, including trafficking and possessing drugs. Barclay applied for bail in the Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday.
A MAN who was allegedly found with $2 million in drugs and $194,000 in cash in his car contacted his son while in jail to retrieve $100,000 buried in Brisbane, a court has heard.
Logan man Paul Lindsay Barclay, 52, has been charged with five offences including trafficking and possessing drugs. He applied for bail in the Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday.
Police will allege that on February 18 this year, Barclay was the driver of a Holden Colorado when it was intercepted by police outside of Home Hill. It is alleged police found 1.9247kg of methamphetamine with a street value of $2 million, $194,152.95 in cash, and 635g of cannabis stashed inside a car tyre.
The court heard he came to the attention of police after lawful intercepts targeting drug supply regions identified him as a person of interest.
Police prosecutor Tim Madsen told the court while Barclay was in custody, “suspicious communications” were detected from the prison. Police opposed bail.
“There are communications between him and his son in relation to the retrieval of buried money, the sum of which is an extraordinary amount of cash,” he said.
“Further communication with the prisoner after the seizure of the sum, advises his son to advise police that the money is his.”
The court heard police executed a search warrant at Barclay’s son’s southeast Queensland home and allegedly seized $111,850 in cash.
Defence solicitor Claire Grant said there was no evidence that Barclay knew “how the money got there in the first place”.
“It is suggested he had knowledge of the location but it is not sufficient to show he had possession which is the control over that money at any particular time,” she said.
Ms Grant said prison communications monitors also intercepted a phone conversation between Barclay and his daughter.
“She is heard to be crying, she is in distress, she tells her father to tell the truth and to stop taking the blame for criminals,” she said.
“That is a telling sign the involvement of the applicants in this sophisticated drug syndicate may not be of a major player but rather a courier or a person under pressure.”
Ms Grant told the court if bail was granted, Barclay would live at an address in North Ward and had an offer of employment from a local business.
Magistrate Steven Mosch called the charges “serious, given the amount of methamphetamine involved”.
“Certainly I do not think it can be said at this stage, he will not spend more time in custody that he will be sentenced to serve,” he said.
Mr Mosch said Barclay posed “an unacceptable risk if I grant him bail”.
The next mention will be on August 6.
CERTAINLY I DO NOT THINK IT CAN BE SAID AT THIS STAGE, HE WILL NOT SPEND MORE TIME IN CUSTODY THAT HE WILL BE SENTENCED TO SERVE
MAGISTRATE STEVEN MOSCH