Four people have pleaded guilty to charges of supplying prohibited drugs in Dubbo Local Court, after a six-month undercover police operation exposed the drug supply network in March this year.
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Heath Dwain Collison, Megan Frances Finn and Belinda Jane Smith pleaded guilty to the indictable offences before Magistrate Howard Hamilton yesterday.
Andrew Colin Hornby pleaded guilty in Dubbo Local Court on September 7 this year and bail was continued.
Wayne John Hammond is the only accused drug
trafficker in the alleged ring maintaining a plea of not guilty.
His matters were adjourned to Penrith Court.
The charges relate to an alleged extensive drug supply network of amphetamines, operating since last year.
The undercover police work included the use of listening devices and telephone intercepts, and among the allegations was a $10,500 payment for drugs as part of the investigation, the court heard in March.
Magistrate Hamilton yesterday ordered pre-sentence reports to be prepared for the four accused who pleaded guilty.
They were committed for sentence in Dubbo District Court on December 7.
Collison will be sentenced for four counts of supplying prohibited drugs.
He faces related charges of possessing prohibited drugs, goods suspected stolen and possessing instructions for manufacturing prohibited drugs.
Nine further counts of supplying prohibited drugs were withdrawn as well as three other related charges.
Finn pleaded guilty to a
single count of supplying prohibited drugs and three charges were withdrawn yesterday.
Two further charges of supplying were adjourned until December 14 for further mention.
Smith pleaded guilty to
one count of supplying prohibited drugs and bail was continued.
Collison, Hammond and Finn made no application for bail and all remained in custody.
The four offenders and the fifth alleged offender were arrested and charged following a drug bust in West Dubbo in March this year.
Detectives from the NSW State Crime Command’s Firearms and Organised Crime Squad and officers from the Orana Local Area Command arrested the five co-accused following months of investigations in Dubbo houses and the McDonald’s carpark.
In 2008, Strike Force Hebbard was formed to investigate the supply of illicit drugs from Sydney to Dubbo, in what was called a controlled operation.
Police alleged at the time that they located a quantity of chemicals, recipes and amphetamine-manufacturing precursors along with cash, prohibited drugs, drug paraphernalia and items used to supply drugs.
They first appeared in Dubbo Local Court on March 17 this year.
