'He relished it': judge rules on Wollongong cocaine dealer

He tried cannabis, then cocaine. He tried becoming a drug dealer, and it was then that he found something he really relished.

Ognenovski's pride was obvious as he bragged about the purity - "93 per cent - the best you can get" of the "Bolivia coke" he made a business of bringing into the Illawarra. But little did he know police were listening in as he spoke those words; his business was about to come spectacularly undone.

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In Wollongong District Court on Tuesday Ognenovski was ordered to serve a maximum seven year, three month jail term.

Sentencing Judge Andrew Haesler noted Ognenovski's strong family ties and said he was convinced Mount Keira 27-year-old with "a lot of life ahead of him" would never return to the drug trade. The sentence was not for deterrence, but punishment, he said.

"It is clear that Mr Ognenovski embraced his role as a drug supplier," Judge Haesler said.

"He appeared to relish the fact he was making profits from spreading drugs into our community. That in jail he belatedly has come to understand the harm the drug supply does to individuals is heartening, but is something I'm sure he would have been aware of at the time."

Ognenovski ran an offshoot of a drug syndicate headed by identical Coniston twins Joel and Flinn Westman, who are awaiting sentence for their crimes.

He bought cocaine from the same Sydney supplier as the brothers, then divvied up his share of the drugs between two housemates for on-supply to street-level users and dealers.

Police recorded him supplying the duo with a total of 637g of cocaine during strike force operations carried out in mid-2019.

A strike force trained on the Westman twins recorded Ognenovski attending the brothers' Wonson Avenue home to count money, cut up and bag cocaine and discuss the inner workings of the wider syndicate, including how to maximise profits and evade authorities.

A separate strike force was watching Ognenovski and the two housemates inside the Mangerton Road home, where a bug planted between May and August last year yielded hours of evidence on the trio's drug activity, including those conversations in which Ognenovski bragged about the quality of the product he brought to the Illawarra market.

Ognenovski was arrested during raids at multiple properties on August 16, when police seized 504g of MDMA stashed inside a jetski in a garage at Mangerton Rd.

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The court heard details of Ognenovski's one-time football ambitions, and how he had afterwards struggled with motivation.

A psychologist reporting to the court found he suffered from narcisism, anxiety, and was insensitive to the needs of others.

"His lack of empathy to others is evident in his embracing of the supply of drugs to others. It is tragic that a person who is fundamentally pro-social, with strong pro-social supports, now finds himself in custody and facing a further term of custody," Judge Haesler said.

"He has resolved to turn his life around. He has learned the lesson - the harsh lesson - that jail and custody is meant to serve."

Ognenovski, who was supported in court by his partner, parents and three other relatives, was ordered to forfeit $39,950 found during the police raids.

He was sentenced to a total term of seven years, three months in prison, with a non-parole period of four years and three months.

With time already served, be will become eligible for parole on November 15, 2023.