OFF THE WIRE
A FINKS bikie, who took to the internet to boast of his underworld lifestyle, unintentionally supplied more than $90,000-worth of MDMA and speed to an undercover police officer, a court has been told.
Darren James Watson today pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to two counts of trafficking and six counts of supplying a dangerous drug and possession of a Mercedes-Benz motorcycle police said was used as part of the offending.
Watson, also known as Tama Lewis, was arrested in October, 2009, after a covert Australian Crime Commission investigation Operation Creed into the Finks motorcycle and the drug trade.
The 27-year-old, dubbed the `MySpace bikie', also pleaded guilty to five charges of the Commonwealth offence of failing to answer questions at a specially-convened ACC hearing in November, 2009.
A public face of the outlaw motorcycle group prior to his arrest, Watson bragged about his role in the organisation.
He claimed on social networking site MySpace to earn $250,000 a year as a stand-over man, with the slogan "Don't play games with the ref, remember I make the rules."
Prosecutor Sarah Dennis said the trafficking charges related to methamphetamines and MDMA over two separate periods.
The first, between late 2005 to June 2007, came to light after a drug addict, who purchased an estimated $110,000 from Watson, turned police informant.
The supply charges and second trafficking count relate to Watson's activities during Operation Creed from December 2008 to October 2009.
During the latter trafficking period Watson supplied, both directly and indirectly through associates, an undercover policeman about 314 grams of methamphetamines and 989 grams of MDMA which came at a cost of about $90,600.
"This is a serious course of offending," Ms Dennis said.
"There was little co-operation in the administration of justice."
Commonwealth prosecutor Justin Williams told Justice Martin Daubney when asked about criminal activity he and his associates had engaged in at the ACC hearing, Watson refused to answer and he should be jailed for six months.
Defence barrister Anthony Kimmins said his client exaggerated his involvement the drug trade during conversations with the undercover officer in an effort to `big-note himself'.
He said the poor drug purity about eight per cent for the ecstasy and 26 per cent for the MDMA - was an indication he was not high in the drug syndicate.
"He might well have been charges with false pretences," Mr Kimmins said.
"It is clear he is nowhere near the primary source of the drugs."
He also said the amount of drugs alleged to have been trafficked in the earlier period was unreliable given the source of the intelligence.
Mr Kimmins said the prosecution's recommendation of a 10 to 12 year sentence was out of range and nine years was appropriate.
Justice Daubney said he needed to consider the sentence and adjourned until February 1.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2012/01/27/385795_crime-and-court-news.html