Lawyers involved in the case of four people accused over an alleged major Albury drug ring have been warned they must have the matter ready for a committal mention in two weeks’ time.
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Magistrate Tony Murray said he would possibly have to discharge the accused if they weren’t.
He issued his warning in Albury Local Court on Monday morning when the first of the accused, Montana Elouise Crawford, appeared before him.
Mr Murray said any attempt to further adjourn the matter on August 15 would not be looked on favourably.
“I’ll give serious consideration to discharging the defendant if that’s the case,” he said.
Mr Murray said the accusations against Crawford had been “around since December”.
Both Crawford’s solicitor, Chris Halburd, and Director of Public Prosecutions representative Aaron Thomas assured Mr Murray the case would be ready to proceed to a committal mention by August 15.
Mr Murray then gave the same warning in the cases of accused ringleader Matthew Bainbridge and fellow syndicate members Luke Timothy Enshaw and Sarah Lorraine Walters, represented by solicitor Tim Hemsley. Enshaw appeared before Mr Murray, but Walters and Bainbridge – who both remain in custody – did not.
Bainbridge, 21, is accused of making $175,000 in recorded transactions over three months in the time leading up to his arrest last year.
The court was told previously that police intercepted 4000 phone calls and 10,000 text messages during Strike Force Boromi, which had been set up last July to target drug dealing in Albury.
It is further alleged that nearly 560 grams of ice were sold, or offered for sale, from August 18 to October 22.
