ONCE charged with 422 drug and firearm offences, Lee Michael Afflick pleaded guilty to a single count of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday.
The vast majority of the remaining charges, some 400 plus counts, were withdrawn by the Officer of the Director of Public Prosecutions, while 10 other drug supply charges will be taken into account when he is ultimately sentenced in Newcastle District Court. Newcastle detectives established Strike Force Toocooya in February last year to look into the supply of heroin in Newcastle. After a three-month investigation, Afflick, 39, was arrested driving a hire car along Llewelyn Street, Merewether.
A search of the vehicle uncovered heroin and cash and Afflick was arrested and taken to Newcastle police station while police searched two properties at Berner Street, Merewether, and Park Avenue, Kotara where they uncovered $11,000 in cash, a range of prohibited weapons including knuckle dusters, ballistic vests, a replica Glock pistol, tasers, flick knives, batons and drug paraphernalia.
Police say they also found prohibited drugs including heroin, cocaine, MDMA and cannabis.
Afflick was initially charged with some 300 offences, including ongoing drug supply as well as firearm and weapon offences.
