A SEARCH through a drug dealer’s bank accounts has found half-a-million dollars in unexplained cash, a court has heard.
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Police say the case of Jesse James Clarke changes almost daily as they look closely at financial documents.
Clarke, 26, had jumped into a police car, smashing in the window, as he fled officers in Wodonga last January.
He was wanted for NSW parole breaches and a search warrant the following month found about $53,000 in cash and five kilograms of marijuana.
He has admitted to offences including trafficking cannabis, and has spent close to a year in custody following his arrest in the Melbourne suburb of Maidstone last February.
Clarke is fighting the proceeds of crime charges, which are related to a white Audi found at the scene of the manhunt in Wodonga.
Prosecutor Wayne Taylor said as part of the investigation, police had received six volumes of bank records which showed $500,000 in unexplained money linked to family members.
“This is now a bigger investigation,” he said.
“We’re still reviewing material.
“It’s literally a piece of string – each time we pull a string, another few strings come out.”
Detectives are searching through thousands of pages of financial records.
His lawyer Hayley Bate said Clarke had made 11 appearances in the 11 months since his arrest.
She wondered when the matter would be ready to proceed, but said further information was coming to light “day by day”.
The court heard he still had nine months and 26 days owing behind bars for the parole breach in NSW.
Clarke will return to the Wodonga court on January 22.