Police say they are still hunting a crime syndicate four months after a Scottish couple was allegedly caught with 60kg of ketamine at a Sydney hotel.
Mother-of-two Demi McDaid, 23, and her partner Jack Farrelly, 30, remain behind bars in Australian prisons after their case was mentioned in court on Thursday.
McDaid and Farrelly were staying in Room 1202 of Rydges North Sydney when they were arrested on June 29 and accused of involvement in a major drug dealing operation.
Police will allege the pair rented a unit in Artarmon as a short-term stay, after travelling to Australia ‘for the sole purpose of taking part in the distribution and supply of large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs’.
Following an investigation into drug supply on Sydney's north shore, police attended a unit on Hampden Road at Artarmon on June 26, acting on a tip-off.
Officers searched the property and allegedly found 1kg of ketamine, as well as clear resealable bags containing white crystallised residue, scales and luggage.
Inquiries led detectives to Rydges North Sydney, where police allege McDaid and Farrelly were found in their room with mobile phones, more than $2,000 in cash and drug ledgers.
Investigators allegedly also found 60kg of ketamine inside the boot of a vehicle which had been rented by Farrelly and left in the hotel car park.
Police say they are still hunting a crime syndicate four months after Scottish couple Demi McDaid (right) and Jack Farrelly (left) were allegedly caught with 60kg of ketamine at a Sydney hotel
Mother-of-two McDaid (above) and her partner Farrelly had been staying in Room 1202 of Rydges North Sydney when they were arrested on June 29
Photographs released to the media show shopping bags filled with packages of white powder in the boot of the car and wads of $50 notes.
McDaid and Farrelly were taken to Chatswood police station where they were charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of ketamine and supplying prohibited drugs.
The Edinburgh couple faced Manly Local Court the following day when they were refused bail, while detectives continued their investigations.
The Daily Mail last month revealed that Farrelly and McDaid had also been charged with directing and taking part in a criminal group.
Under NSW law, a criminal group is defined as a group of three or more people engaged in conduct which constitutes a serious indictable offence.
McDaid is accused of participating in a criminal group between 12pm on May 15 and 8.10pm on June 29 at Artarmon.
It is alleged she 'did participate in a criminal group, knowing that it was a criminal group and knew that her participation in that group contributed to the occurrence of a criminal activity, to wit, drug supply'.
Farrelly is accused of knowingly or recklessly directing that criminal group between 7pm on June 5 and 8.10pm on June 29.
Police will allege McDaid and Farrelly (above) travelled to Australia 'for the sole purpose of taking part in the distribution and supply of large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs'
Photographs released to the media show shopping bags filled with packages of white powder in the boot (above) of the car and wads of $50 notes
He allegedly 'did knowingly participate in a criminal group by directing the activities of the group, knowing or being reckless as to whether that participation contributes to the occurrence of criminal activity'.
NSW Police confirmed no one else had yet been charged over the alleged ketamine haul since the arrests of McDaid and Farrelly.
'Further investigations into anyone else who may have been involved are underway,' a spokesman told the Daily Mail.
McDaid and Farrelly were not required to appear but were represented by a lawyer when their case was briefly mentioned in Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday.
Neither made an application for bail and it was formally refused by Judge Aaron Tang, who adjourned the matter until November 12 and ordered the prosecution brief to be served by that date.
The maximum penalty for large commercial supply of a prohibited drug in NSW is life imprisonment. The offence attracts a 'standard non-parole' period of 15 years.
When McDaid and Farrelly’s charges were mentioned in court on September 11, solicitor Matthew Fernandez said he was not in a position to discuss his clients’ situation.
The weight of the drugs allegedly found at Artarmon and North Sydney was originally estimated at 2kg and 107kg respectively, but has since been revised to 1kg and 60kg.
Police allege they found 60kg of ketamine (above) inside the boot of a vehicle which had been rented by Farrelly and left in the hotel car park
Detective Acting Inspector Alison Dixon, of North Shore Police Area Command, previously said drug syndicates were relying on the high turnover of temporary accommodation rentals to escape detection.
'We have seen this before and encourage property owners to be wary,' she said.
'People staying in hotels and Airbnbs, we see a lot of illegal activities come and go through those places.'
