Two Dubbo hairdressing salons have been linked to the alleged ringleader of a cannabis ring busted by police on Thursday morning.
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Eight people charged over the drug raid have now been refused bail in Dubbo Local Court, including alleged mastermind, Sue Peachey.
According to the police facts, Peachey purchased Shine Hairdressing and Rebecca’s Hair Salon for $38,000, using cash. Those two salons were among the nine properties upon which police executed search warrants on Thursday morning.
The facts also allege 365 pounds of cannabis was distributed by Peachey and her partners throughout Dubbo this year, netting her approximately $2 million.
The raids came after four months of surveillance from Strikeforce Monkman, both phone and optical, on Peachey’s Gasnier Place home.
85 police and a number of sniffer dogs made the early morning raids.
All eight have been charged with supply prohibited drug above a commercial quantity.
Peachy and co-accused Antoinette Grant appeared in court on Thursday afternoon, but only Peachey applied for bail and it was refused for both women.
The other six charged over the raids appeared yesterday before Magistrate Howard Hamilton and none applied for bail.
Co-accused Kylie Stockwell broke down several times when she appeared, calling out for her children as she was led away, while another charged, Scott Wardale, spoke to acquaintances in court during his appearance.
The court facts say police received Supreme Court permission to install listening devices and optical surveillance devices at Peachey’s house on Gasnier Place.
From there, they intercepted and listened in on mobile phone calls.
The police facts allege Peachey headed a drug distribution operation from her house that saw her using co-accused Marko Korpinen drive to Sydney to purchase cannabis.
He would never come back with anything less than three pounds, the facts allege.
The drugs would be placed at a holding house – one of which was in Gilbert Street and run by Wardale. From there, the cannabis was allegedly distributed to street level suppliers.
The facts say that on November 17, police executed a search warrant on the Gilbert Street house, seizing 2.049 kilograms of cannabis, worth about $275,000 to Peachey’s alleged criminal enterprise.
Peachey then allegedly arranged all money owed to her by the members of her alleged criminal enterprise to be collected, and set up another holding house, run by co-accused Anthony Roach, who was allegedly a mid-level supplier.
The police facts say Peachey allegedly sold 365 pound of cannabis this year, and 26 in the past three weeks, at $5500 a pound.
The accused:
Sue Peachey
Kylie Stockwell
Antoinette Grant
Scott Edward Wardale
Leanne Wilkinson
Marko Korpinen
Sharon Maxwell
Anthony Wayne Roach