EIGHT years after he became one of the prized scalps of a strike force who smashed a major drug supply ring in the Hunter, Paul Michael Colvin has again pleaded guilty to supplying large quantities of ice.
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And this time he was involved in a network that allegedly included Joshua Toole, who is the accused head of the drug supply syndicate and brother of former NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole.
Colvin was represented by solicitor Cameron Duncan when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and two counts of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Colvin, who remains behind bars, will next appear in Newcastle District Court next month to get a sentence date.
Police launched Strike Force Great last year to investigate the supply of ice in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and began using an encrypted app to communicate with members of a drug supply syndicate.
In July last year, an undercover police officer was added to a group chat that allegedly included Mr Toole and Colvin.
And during a conversation the group allegedly arranged a "dead drop" of drugs for $32,500.
On July 13, the undercover police officer drove to a remote fire trail at Murrays Beach where he found 140 grams of ice hidden inside a tyre.
The officer took the drugs and left $32,500 in a spot nearby.
A short time later, Colvin arrived and picked up the cash.
The same arrangement was made during another chat on the encrypted app and on August 5 the undercover police officer went back to the same spot, dropped off the cash and took the drugs.
Again, Colvin came and collected the cash later that day.
He was arrested on October 27 last year and refused bail.
Mr Toole has not entered any pleas and his matter was adjourned on Wednesday until next month.
The court heard that Colvin would source the drugs from Sydney and bring them to Newcastle where his three deputies Beau Lawton, Adam Henry and Chris Wells would distribute the drugs onto their own network of street-level dealers.
Colvin was given a non-parole period of six years and three months, which made him eligible for parole in December, 2021.
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