A Barrack Heights man who used the dark web to order cocaine from the UK under the guise of importing protein powder said the entire transaction was as easy as using eBay.
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Michael Azabal was busted importing almost 160 grams of cocaine in a shipment sent from Swift Supplements in London to his Lyndsey Street home in July 2018.
Court documents said the parcel, sent via international mail, was listed as containing Nike 'Maximuscule' training gloves, however Australian Federal Police officers who intercepted the parcel discovered it had cocaine secreted inside a container of whey powder.
A forensic analysis of the cocaine revealed it weighed 157.9 grams and had a purity of 88 per cent.
Detectives launched an investigation, with inquires subsequently revealing Azabal had received another parcel from the same company a week earlier, which had not been intercepted by authorities.
When Azabal was arrested, a search of his mobile phone uncovered photos of the first parcel and its contents, which police said appeared to be ketamine in vacuum sealed bags.
Azabal was arrested in August and charged with importing a marketable amount of a border-controlled drug and attempting to import a marketable quantity of a prohibited drug.
He pleaded guilty to both and during his recent sentencing hearing, explained how easy the process from ordering to delivery had been.
"It's pretty much like using eBay - you get on the internet and purchase what you want," he said.
"I used an untraceable browser to access the dark web, then it's like eBay; you've got your best sellers, etc. I typed in cocaine and [the seller] came up".
Azabal said he used the internet currency 'Bitcoin' to pay for the drugs, shelling out about $10,000 for the cocaine and about $2,000-$3,000 for a quarter of a kilogram of ketamine.
"Was [the process] easy?" defence lawyer Neil McCarthy asked Azabal.
"Yes," he replied.
When questioned about his drug use at the time, Azabal admitted he was snorting about $1,000 worth of cocaine every day.
He also revealed he had $5,000-a-week gambling habit, both of which he supported with income from his job ($2,500 - $3,000 a week) and the proceeds of drug sales.
He told the court he believed he no longer had a problem with drugs or gambling and had remained "clean" while in custody.
However, he said he would willing to do a rehabilitation course when released.
Azabal remains behind bars and will be sentenced on June 28.