SEAN Roe had just turned 21 when he "jumped into the deep end" of the criminal underworld and began supplying large quantities of cocaine for a member of the Bandidos bikie gang based in Thailand.
He used some of the proceeds of his operation to buy a $169,000 vintage Ford Mustang and fly first class on a six-week "lavish" European holiday.
But he also developed a massive addiction to the drug and on his version was using up to eight grams a day, incurred a significant debt and was the victim of a home invasion and threats when he tried to stop supplying.
And on Friday, Roe, now 22, was jailed for a maximum of six years after he pleaded guilty to supplying a total of nearly 3.5 kilograms of cocaine over seven separate transactions at Mayfield and Cronulla between July and October last year.
With time served, Roe will be eligible for parole in October, 2025.
Roe gave evidence on Friday that he left home at 17 and began using drugs, developing an addiction and then started supplying to cover his drug debts.
At some point he became something of a "middleman" for a member of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang who was based in Thailand, purchasing large quantities of cocaine that he would then on-supply to another dealer in Newcastle.
That man, who has also been charged but has not entered a plea, allegedly then on-sold the cocaine to a large network of street level dealers in Newcastle.
On one occasion, just before he travelled overseas, Roe supplied his contact with 1.69 kilograms of cocaine so the man could continue to supply his network while Roe was away.
But generally the supplies were between 280 grams and 560 grams of cocaine at a time, the court heard.
When Roe was arrested in October last year, police searched his home at Mayfield and a storage facility at Raymond Terrace and located the 1969 Ford Mustang, nearly $28,000 in cash, a tick list and a hydraulic press.
Roe had also employed a business to sweep his home for bugs and took steps to fortify his home as a drug premises, the court heard.
In sentencing Roe, Judge Roy Ellis chastised his "stupidity" and "immaturity" for spending $169,000 on a car.
"You obviously had enough money to throw $170,000 at something that was a long way from being a necessity," Judge Ellis said.
Roe said he had used about $80,000 in cash from his drug supply business and the rest from money he had made on cryptocurrency and day trading. But Judge Ellis said that raised the question of why he was dealing such large quantities of drugs if he was making money legally.
He also questioned Roe's claims about his cocaine addiction, which he said was an ounce or two a week, and whether he was able to quit cold turkey while he spent six weeks in Europe.
But ultimately he said Roe's youth, his mental health conditions and immaturity meant he should receive a jail term at the lower end of the range for an offence that carries a maximum of life imprisonment.
He ordered Roe serve at least three years behind bars before he is eligible for parole in 2025.
