A man facing a string of drug charges - carrying a maximum penalty of life in jail - has been released on strict conditional bail.
Jayson Harker, 32, has been in custody since November, when he was charged with a raft of counts, including three of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
Magistrate Robert Stone granted Mr Harker bail in Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday, citing the delays that COVID-19 was causing for getting matters heard in the district court, the more "onerous" conditions of being in custody during the pandemic and Mr Harker's need for rehabilitation, which he said "looms large".
Police arrested Mr Harker on November 9 after they allegedly found him in a vehicle with drugs including gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and methylamphetamine.
He was granted bail but was charged again on November 11 after a search of a home at Jewells allegedly uncovered commercial quantities of cannabis, methylamphetamine, liquid amphetamines and MDMA among other drugs.
Mr Harker will face court again on July 1.
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