That was outlined late on Monday afternoon when Alfred Maxwell Clark, 49, made an application for bail over three charges.

But magistrate Rodney Brender said Clark was an unacceptable risk of failing to appear, remanding him in custody to re-appear on October 2 along with his four co-accused.

Mahmoud El-Zayat, 45, and Claudette Tannous, 24, also appeared via video links to jail, but neither made an application for bail. Thomas Alfred Purtell, 46, did not front court.

Kylie Maree Pearce, 35, no longer sporting the purple beaded hair she wore at the time of her arrest last Wednesday, also appeared via a video link.

Legal Aid solicitor Camille McKay said Pearce was seeking private legal representation and was likely to make a bail application at her next appearance, on August 20.

The five were arrested during a police strike force on the Border last Wednesday.

Police seized drugs including methamphetamine and cocaine valued at  $300,000. Police laid 140 charges.

Clark faces a strictly indictable charge of supply a prohibited drug, take part in supplying a prohibited drug of an indictable and commercial quantity and participate in a criminal group and contribute to a criminal activity.

Defence solicitor Sascha McCorriston argued that Clark had strong community links, especially given that he was the carer for both his wife and stepson.

But prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Coombs said there was a risk of Clark interfering with witnesses or potential forensic evidence.

Sergeant Coombs said there would also be people “higher or lower in the chain” of offending still in the community who the strike force was still in the process of investigating.

“(The police case) says,” Mr Brender said, “he was actively involved in this criminal group and that he was caught up a ladder keeping an eye out.”