<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>334915</docID> <postdate>2024-12-09 14:54:51</postdate> <headline>Dial-a-dealer coke sellers targeted for ‘silly season’</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-292298" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hemp_plants-cannabis_sativa-single_3-resized-e1693999309280.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>A police strike force targeting illegal drug distribution has busted open dial-a-dealer schemes.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Neve Brissenden</strong> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>Small-time drug pushers operating dial-a-dealer schemes are in police sights in the lead-up to Christmas as revellers unwind during the party season.</strong></p> <p>In the three weekends leading to December 7, NSW Police arrested and charged 108 people as part of a strike force aiming to bust open the on-demand drug suppliers predominantly delivering cocaine to the lucrative Sydney market.</p> <p>Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said operations targeting the distribution of illegal drugs in the city would continue throughout the coming weeks.</p> <p>"It's no secret this time of year, there are more people out and about for whatever reason," he said on Monday.</p> <p>"If you're silly enough to do it, at this time of year specifically, we have a specific focus on it, and you're likely to come unstuck."</p> <p>Of those arrested, 64 were charged with supplying a prohibited drug and 44 were charged with drug-possession offences.</p> <p>More than $20,000 worth of drugs were seized, including 560g of cocaine, 78 MDMA caps, cannabis, ketamine and ice.</p> <p>Almost $99,000 in cash and several cars were also seized.</p> <p>Among those arrested was a 22-year-old man allegedly found driving around Sydney's city centre with 14 bags of cocaine and thousands in cash, and a Cronulla teenager allegedly caught with 18 bags of cocaine.</p> <p>A Korean national was also arrested in the city centre allegedly in possession of 21 bags of cocaine and 60 MDMA caps.</p> <p>In Sydney's east, a 26-year-old man was allegedly found with cocaine and cash inside a hidden compartment, while a 45-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man were allegedly found driving with 24 bags of cocaine, more than $3000 in cash and a knife.</p> <p>Many of those arrested had no significant criminal history and were first-time offenders, police said.</p> <p>Mr McKenna said investigators were not just targeting small-time drug dealers.</p> <p>"This is part of larger operations that we run and we make no apologies for saying that this was a street-level drug supply operation, but we also target mid-level and up the line to the big fish," he said.</p> <p>NSW Police in September revealed they had busted a syndicate known as "The Commission" that had effectively controlled Sydney's cocaine trade, facilitating billions of dollars worth of deals each year.</p> <p>Speaking at the time, Police Commissioner Karen Webb said those busts highlighted the "massive appetite" in the NSW capital for the drug and called for a conversation about what could be done to limit demand.</p> </body>