Former ABC radio presenter caught in raid with $600,000 worth of drugs
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A former high-profile ABC presenter has been arrested for possession of a commercial supply of drugs worth $600,000.
Ashley Hall, 52, who once presented major current affairs programs like AM, PM and The World Today for the public broadcaster, was taken into custody by NSW Police last Wednesday, December 7.
Five hundred tablets of MDMA, 100g of cocaine, 3.2 kilos of GHB, 700g of meth, and over 1 kilo of cannabis were seized in an operation shortly after his arrest spanning two Sydney hotels, along with $70,000 in cash.
NSW Police said all items will undergo forensic examination.
Hall was charged with 23 drug offences, including two counts of supplying illegal drugs in large commercial quantities, supplying prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
He was refused bail and will remain in police custody until February when he makes his next court appearance.
Section 25 of the NSW Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act of 1985 states that knowingly supplying or taking part in the use of ‘not less than a “large commercial quantity”’ of prohibited drugs can carry a penalty of life imprisonment and/or 5000 penalty units.
This isn’t Hall’s first incident involving illegal drugs.
In January 2021, he was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order after being arrested for selling illegal drugs in Sydney.
He pled guilty to two counts of supplying prohibited drugs and four counts of drug possession.
Cocaine, cannabis, and LSD were among the drugs seized in the hotel room he was staying at.
The arrest is part of a wider crackdown by NSW Police on illegal drugs in Sydney, which has the distinction of being the country’s top consumer of cocaine with 800mg used for every 1000 Sydneysiders daily on average according to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
The city was also the site of six arrests made in November as part of multinational efforts to stop an organised crime network from dumping illegal drugs on Australian streets.
The arrests yielded $3 million in cash and a whopping 300kg of meth and cocaine.
But Sydney is only a fraction of the nation’s overall drug problem.
A report in February revealed that Australia is a ‘lucrative’ market for illegal drugs and acts as a hub for the trans-Pacific drug trade.
Estimates place the Australian illegal drug trade industry’s worth at $11.3 billion annually.
Crime groups operating in the country have also been said to expand their operations to nearby Pacific Islander countries like the Cook Islands and Fiji.
Back home, according to the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 16.4 per cent (3.4 million) of Aussies reported using drugs the year prior to the poll.
The COVID pandemic only made things worse, pushing deaths linked to illegal drug use to record highs seen only in the 90s with five Aussies lost daily in 2020.
If you or anyone you know have a problem with using illegal drugs, we highly encourage getting in touch with services like Narcotics Anonymous Australia by phone at 1300 652 820 or 0488 811 247.
What is your reaction to this news? How severe do you think is Australia’s drug problem?
Tell us your thoughts below!
Source: YouTube/7News Australia
Ashley Hall, 52, who once presented major current affairs programs like AM, PM and The World Today for the public broadcaster, was taken into custody by NSW Police last Wednesday, December 7.
Five hundred tablets of MDMA, 100g of cocaine, 3.2 kilos of GHB, 700g of meth, and over 1 kilo of cannabis were seized in an operation shortly after his arrest spanning two Sydney hotels, along with $70,000 in cash.
NSW Police said all items will undergo forensic examination.
Hall was charged with 23 drug offences, including two counts of supplying illegal drugs in large commercial quantities, supplying prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Hall faces drug charges anew after his arrest. Image Credit: Facebook/NSW Police Force
He was refused bail and will remain in police custody until February when he makes his next court appearance.
Section 25 of the NSW Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act of 1985 states that knowingly supplying or taking part in the use of ‘not less than a “large commercial quantity”’ of prohibited drugs can carry a penalty of life imprisonment and/or 5000 penalty units.
This isn’t Hall’s first incident involving illegal drugs.
In January 2021, he was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order after being arrested for selling illegal drugs in Sydney.
He pled guilty to two counts of supplying prohibited drugs and four counts of drug possession.
Cocaine, cannabis, and LSD were among the drugs seized in the hotel room he was staying at.
The arrest is part of a wider crackdown by NSW Police on illegal drugs in Sydney, which has the distinction of being the country’s top consumer of cocaine with 800mg used for every 1000 Sydneysiders daily on average according to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
Drugs and cash worth a combined $600,000 was seized in operations related to Hall’s arrest. Image Credit: Facebook/NSW Police Force
The city was also the site of six arrests made in November as part of multinational efforts to stop an organised crime network from dumping illegal drugs on Australian streets.
The arrests yielded $3 million in cash and a whopping 300kg of meth and cocaine.
But Sydney is only a fraction of the nation’s overall drug problem.
A report in February revealed that Australia is a ‘lucrative’ market for illegal drugs and acts as a hub for the trans-Pacific drug trade.
Crime groups operating in the country have also been said to expand their operations to nearby Pacific Islander countries like the Cook Islands and Fiji.
Back home, according to the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 16.4 per cent (3.4 million) of Aussies reported using drugs the year prior to the poll.
Ashley Hall was once a key figure in ABC Radio. Credit: Twitter/@ashthoughts
The COVID pandemic only made things worse, pushing deaths linked to illegal drug use to record highs seen only in the 90s with five Aussies lost daily in 2020.
If you or anyone you know have a problem with using illegal drugs, we highly encourage getting in touch with services like Narcotics Anonymous Australia by phone at 1300 652 820 or 0488 811 247.
What is your reaction to this news? How severe do you think is Australia’s drug problem?
Tell us your thoughts below!
Source: YouTube/7News Australia
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