The kingpin of a large-scale drug syndicate operating out of Wellington has pleaded guilty to distributing drugs across regional NSW.
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Kyle Anthony Thompson, 35, was arrested in May 2020 after a police conducted a series of dawn raids at more than 20 properties across NSW as part of Strike Force Pinnacle.
The 14-month undercover police operation dismantled the drug syndicate sourcing ice, heroin, cocaine and MDMA from Sydney and supplying it out of Wellington.
As part of the investigation, detectives monitored Thompson, and his associates from June 2019 until his arrest on May 27, 2020.
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Between June 2019 and May 2020, Thompson received 7.083 kilograms of methylamphetamine (ice), 267.66 grams of cocaine, 903.2 grams of heroin, and knowingly took part in the supply of 73.7 grams of MDMA, "amassing a significant amount of wealth due to his criminal activities", court documents said.
In an agreed set of facts, Thompson - as the director of the large-scale syndicate - was involved in a range of roles including placing orders for drugs, negotiating prices, logistics of delivery, arranging payments, engaging others to assist with driving and distributing the drugs including dividing up the bulk quantities into sealable and useable amounts.
He was also responsible for storing and hiding quantities of the drugs, cash, jewellery and motor vehicles.
Court documents revealed he also was responsible for complaining about and retuning drugs when the quality wasn't up to standard; directing other members of the drug ring to chase up payment from customers who hadn't paid; directing associates to hidden drugs to facilitate sales, directing members to supply drugs on his behalf; and arranging for other members of the drug ring to accept ownership of the drugs and prohibited firearms in exchange for cash.
Investigations revealed Thompson had established a relationship with an upline drug supplier in Sydney, and would communicate via mobile phone using coded language and the encrypted mobile site Viber.
Thompson would organise the drugs, prices and delivery to be sent to a number of homes in Wellington, and would meet the drivers, or instruct other members of the syndicate to collect the drugs and divide and distribute them between themselves into smaller amounts for use and sale.
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Between June 2019 and May 2020, police monitored 15 drug runs from Sydney to Wellington, where Thompson arranged for the delivery of large amounts of ice, cocaine and heroin.
During one of the drug runs to Wellington, Thompson and his partner Danielle Follett were holidaying in Cairns when a delivery of 500 grams of ice arrived, so instructed one of his associates to take the delivery.
On two occasions, Thompson rang the upline supplier in Sydney to complain about the quality of ice and heroin he had received.
A delivery of ice and heroin was on its way to Wellington in March 2020 when the driver was stopped and arrested by police in Molong.
Later when arrangements for one kilogram of ice were made, the upline supplier told Thompson he was having trouble finding a driver. Thompson agreed to send someone to meet the driver in the Lithgow McDonalds carpark to exchange $179,000 for drugs.
On numerous occasions Thompson was also responsible for the supply of drugs to members of the Wellington community.
In November 2019, Thompson was also responsible for agreeing to pay $1500 to a corrupt NSW correctional officer to take a quantity of buperenorphine strips into Wellington Correctional Centre.
Thompson, who didn't hold a firearms licence, was overheard in October 2019 on a phone tap telling his partner he had just cleaned, degreased and stored 11 firearms.
When a search warrant was executed on a property 13 kilometres from Yeoval in May 2020, police located 11 firearms in a gun safe in a garden shed which belonged to Thompson.
During the search they also located three silencers, and about 3000 rounds of ammunition.
Detectives issued a search warrant on Thompson's Marsh Street home in Wellington on April 2, 2020. During the search police located cash, 83.7 grams of ice, 73.7grams of MDMA, 12.9 grams of cocaine, and 3.2 grams of heroin, along with electronic scales and drug packaging.
When police raided a number of homes in the early hours of May 27, 2020 police located a number of valuable items owned by Thompson.
This included $265,820 in cash hidden around a property, 1.4 kilograms of gold bullion worth about $85,000, a Holden commodore Thompson paid $50,000 for, and a Harley Davidson worth $15,000.
Police said during the course of their investigation Thompson was unemployed, and used 11 mobile phone numbers.
In Dubbo Local Court on Thursday, Thompson appeared via audio-visual link from jail and pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
Thompson pleaded guilty to knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group, knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, supply a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, possess more than three prohibited firearms and corruptly give or offer to give an agent a benefit.
A number of other charges were withdrawn.
The case was adjourned to the Dubbo District Court for a sentence date.
The matter will return to court in December.