A West Albury woman could not have been involved in the commercial supply of methamphetamine because she didn't know the drug was in her kitchen, a court has heard
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The argument was raised by Kylie Maree Pearce's lawyer, Graham Lamond, as she made a bid for bail after 10 months in custody.
Mr Lamond told Albury Local Court this week that Pearce conceded to a string of supply and offer to supply prohibited drug charges involving smaller amounts.
But he said Pearce was not involved in commercial supply.
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That single charge, which remains subject to negotiations with the Director of Public Prosecutions, related to 252 grams of "ice" found in Pearce's kitchen.
"It was actually behind a board up in the exhaust fan cavity, certainly well above the height of my client," Mr Lamond said.
He said Pearce was routinely excluded by alleged drug syndicate head Mahmoud El-Zayat from being in the house when drug deals were carried out.
Mr Lamond further argued that the much smaller amounts of methamphetamine that Pearce did deal - and for which she was otherwise charged - would not result in a non-parole period longer than time already served.
But a DPP representative said the supply and offer to supply charges Pearce faced were not for insignificant quantities of methamphetamine.
These deals by Pearce were for amounts as high as 14 grams.
Pearce and her co-accused - three faced court last week - were arrested on August 1 after police raids that yielded drugs valued at some $300,000.
Mr Brender said he was not minded to grant bail given that he believed it likely Pearce could actually serve more time in jail if convicted for what were fairly serious charges.
He said he also couldn't grant Pearce bail to live in another state, out of the jurisdictional and monitoring reach of NSW police, given the proposed bail address of relatives was at Waaia in northern Victoria.
Mr Brender suggested the bail application be withdrawn so it could be re-submitted, on the basis of a change in circumstance, after the outcome of negotiations with the DPP.
Mr Lamond then did just that and so Pearce, 35, was further remanded in custody to appear via a video link on June 26.
The case against co-accused Claudette Tannous was adjourned to July 9 for a committal for sentence.
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