Car boot ‘hid $1.4m of ice’
AN accused Hells Angels associate and Papua New Guinea gold miner used a secret, control-operated compartment in his car boot to hide $1.4 million worth of drugs, a court was told.
Wayne Thomas Holland, 67, used the false wall to hide the 12kg of ice which was packed in Woolworths shopping bags, placed in the hidden compartment and driven from Sydney to the Gold Coast, documents yesterday tendered to the Southport Magistrates Court allege.
Holland told police he had borrowed the car from his son, Kane Holland, who is an alleged Hells Angels member.
Police also searched a Burleigh Waters storage unit linked to Wayne Holland and found ecstasy and eight firearms including two shotguns, a semi-automatic rifle and a bolt-action rifle with a sniper stand, the court was told. Police also allege they found Hells Angels items at the property.
The court was told police found Holland’s fingerprint on one of the bags taken from the car.
Magistrate Joan White said: “These are very, very serious offences and there is a reasonably strong case you knew what was in the bags.”
Despite this, the magistrate granted Holland bail with strict conditions, including a $100,000 surety, he surrender his passport, he not approach an international departure point and he report to police daily.
Holland, a slim, greying man, blew a kiss and waved towards media when he entered the courtroom.
The Varsity Lakes man faces multiple charges after the drugs were found when the car was seized in Reedy Creek on April 11.
Holland went to New Guinea, to visit the gold mine which he has a share in, after the car was seized and it allegedly took a couple of days for police to find the drugs.
Holland’s solicitor Jason Jacobson, of Jacobson Mahony Lawyers, agreed there was a case against his client.
“At least to the extent he was the person who transported this very large quantity of drugs from Sydney back to the Gold Coast,” he said.
However, Mr Jacobson said Holland had strong ties to the community and his wife had Parkinson’s disease.
Holland will return to court on May 2.
THESE ARE VERY, VERY SERIOUS OFFENCES AND THERE IS A REASONABLY STRONG CASE YOU KNEW WHAT WAS IN THE BAGS MAGISTRATE JOAN WHITE