CD shop a 'front' to sell $6m of drugs

[OZ Stoners]

A TWEED Heads music store sold CDs to customers at the front door and "weed" to clients at the back door as part of a major drug trafficking operation.

 

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Tweed Heads music store was a 'front' to sell $6m of drugs in Daniel Kalaja's empire, smashed in Operation Warrior

 

• by: David Murray
  
• From: The Courier-Mail
  
• November 05, 2012 12:00AM
  

 

A TWEED Heads music store sold CDs to customers at the front door and "weed" to clients at the back door as part of a major drug trafficking operation.

Underground Music owner Lee Charles admitted his shop was used as a front while he sold an estimated $6 million worth of marijuana and ecstasy.

"I sold to skaters, mums and all sorts of people," Charles says in an affidavit lodged in Supreme Court confiscation proceedings against his supplier.

"I thought it was safer to sell weed from my shop as I thought the police would be less likely to raid a shop than a house."

Charles was just one dealer for the Kalaja family drug trafficking syndicate, which was smashed in a joint CMC and police operation codenamed Warrior.

 

The CMC is seeking to seize assets allegedly linked to Daniel Kalaja, the primary target of Warrior who was sentenced to 14 years jail in July.

Charles says in his affidavit that before meeting Kalaja he was a small time dealer selling about half a kilogram of marijuana a week from the Bay St music store.

Life changed after Daniel's father George arrived at the store in 2003, wearing a suit and tie, gold ring, watch and jewellery.

George handed over a pound of marijuana in a plastic shopping bag, Charles says in his affidavit.

The weed was "shit quality", full of seeds and sticks, but Charles didn't complain about the $3000 price tag because he thought George "was the mafia" and didn't want to upset him.

From then on Charles dealt with Daniel Kalaja. Their first meeting was at the Q1 hotel at Broadbeach. Kalaja -- accompanied by a body builder -- was wearing a gold chain and "looked everything like I imagined a mafia guy would look like".

Charles sold the cannabis in pages ripped from a phonebook as it was less obvious than the traditional foil wrap and later became a middleman for bigger deals.

Packages would arrive in bags, boxes and suitcases and Charles would deliver them to clients for a cut of the profits.

When Underground Music closed in 2007, Charles continued trading from home and Kalaja started supplying him 1000 ecstasy pills at a time.

"In my dealings with Danny over the years I estimate that I would have transacted close to six million dollars worth of drugs," Charles says in his affidavit.

The CMC seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash taken from Kalaja in a series of raids and also wants to seize assets linked to GDK Developments Pty Ltd including proceeds from subdivisions at Lowood and Caboolture and three Mercedes.

Kalaja was the sole shareholder in GDK Developments at the start of the proceedings but says his uncle, Tom Kalaja, is the real company owner.

Tom Kalaja, an engineer, has not been linked to any criminal activity and is fighting the court action.

"I believe it was an oversight by my solicitor that led to Daniel remaining on the register as the sole shareholder," Tom Kalaja says in court documents.

"I am the only person with any interest in proceeds."

[The Hash Nibbler]

...... JB 'High' Fi........... .....

[louise]

nibbs

[Vape]

why doesnt the gov want a cut in the cannabis trade..sell it tax it..regulate it.. just like everything else...easy! its gotta be worth millions.

 

vape for life.. peace!.

[brick]

why doesnt the gov want a cut in the cannabis trade..sell it tax it..regulate it.. just like everything else...easy! its gotta be worth millions.

 

 

 

Electoral backlash. Pharma companies don't want it legalised. United Nations. Dirty cops. The list goes on.

[Mary Jane Stoner]

I used to call a 25 a CD when I called my dealer. A 50 was an album.

[iTiC]

I used to call a 25 a CD when I called my dealer. A 50 was an album.

A $25... how much would you get for a 25?

[VOSTOK]

I for one am GLAD this guy got busted, selling ditchweed and speed, guys like these put a big shit mark on any attempt to legalize Canna in Oz, in my younger days I'd clip these fuckers in a twink,

my old bosses taught me the biz, rule 1: you do it with class and style or you don't do it at all.

[Faith]

why doesnt the gov want a cut in the cannabis trade..sell it tax it..regulate it.. just like everything else...easy! its gotta be worth millions.

 

 

 

Electoral backlash. Pharma companies don't want it legalised. United Nations. Dirty cops. The list goes on.

 

You got it brick. Prohibition contributions are probably a larger number than we suspect. Not just pharma. chemicals..paper...sooo many vested - and conflicting interests

 

Peace to you brick. v

Edited January 8, 2013 by Vinno