Gold Coast store owner who supplied drugs from alleged makeshift bikie clubhouse escapes jail time

Brett Burnell, 52, was arrested following a Taskforce Maxima raid behind the San Fernando’s Takeaway and Convenience Store on October 24 in 2014.

Police found 3.813kg of cannabis, a small quantity of cocaine and arrested a man jumping the back fence after being supplied 28g of cannabis.

At the time they said the premises were being used as a “meeting and de facto clubhouse” for the Odins Warriors motorcycle gang.

In the Southport District Court yesterday Burnell pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis and possessing more than 500g of cannabis.

Crown prosecutor Nicholas McGhee said the first lot of cannabis was found in a protein bucket which, he said, was accepted as belonging to Burnell.

He said there was also a large quantity of cannabis in a blue cooler bag on the dining room table, with four sealed plastic bags which contained cannabis.

“It’s accepted that the way the cannabis was packaged in that cooler bag and the weight … that it was a commercial quantity,” he said.

Mr McGhee said there was no allegation Burnell was selling the drug commercially as his phone was analysed with nothing found and the seized cash had been earned through the store.

Defence barrister Bernard Reilly said his client lost both of his convenience stores as a result of the investigation, after $46,000 in cash was seized.

“They seized money from the shops which essentially comprised of working capital for the two businesses, in addition to some banking,” he said.

“Ultimately, the police concluded the money could not be shown to be anything other than legitimately obtained.”

Judge Clive Wall said Burnell had not been involved with commercially supplying the drug but was supplying to friends.

Burnell was sentenced to nine months in jail, wholly suspended for 12 months.