Cheyne Benjamin Morley, Benjamin Walker, Tara Clare and Ilo Ilievski are on trial in the Wollongong District Court, each charged with two counts of detaining with intent to obtain an advantage, at which time actual bodily harm occurred.

Ilievski is also charged with dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.

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Each of the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The charges relate to an alleged incident that began late on May 11, 2020, the court heard.

Crown prosecutor Michael Fox said Morley and Clare, together with one of the victims, Brendon Merrett, drove from Wollongong to Wiley Park in Sydney to purchase methamphetamine from a supplier.

He said Mr Merrett and a friend, Mitchell Clark had provided the contact details for this supplier.

Once they arrived in Wiley Park, the jury heard, $9000 was exchanged for the drugs.

But Mr Fox told the court that on the return journey to Wollongong, Clare opened the package and it became "immediately apparent they'd been duped" - the package contained not meth, but bath salts.

He alleged Ilievski and Walker were told of the rip-off and from that point, the goal was to recover the money.

"So someone had to cough up the $9000, and the persons considered responsible were Mr Merrett and Mr Clark," Mr Fox said.

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The jury heard that Morley dropped Clare off at a Monteith Street, Cringila address and picked up Walker, then the pair - still with Mr Merrett - met Mr Clark at a service station.

Walker then got into Mr Clark's van and the two vehicles returned to the Monteith Street address, Mr Fox said, where Mr Merrett and Mr Clark were ordered inside.

The court heard Walker allegedly hit Mr Clark with a set of nunchucks while Morley used the blunt side of a tomahawk blade to hit both Mr Clark and Mr Merrett to the legs, causing injuries.

Mr Fox said Mr Clark transferred $1050 from his bank account and contacted his mother, who sent him another $2500.

Mr Clark and Mr Merrett were then pushed into a storage area through a manhole in the wall, the Crown alleged, and told to keep quiet.

Mr Fox said both men made contact with other family members in a bid to get the money demanded of them.

He said the jury would see CCTV footage of Clare withdrawing $4000 in Figtree on May 12.

That afternoon, Mr Clark was allegedly told to sign over his Citroen van to Morley, while Mr Merrett was allowed out but was allegedly further pressed to make up the money and punched repeatedly.

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The pair were eventually released and Mr Merrett was treated at hospital.

Police allegedly later found Ilievski with $4500 in cash.

Mr Merrett gave evidence on Monday that upon the discovery the substance purchased in Sydney in May 2020 was bath salts and not meth, Morley told him it was his problem to fix.

"I was in shock... I couldn't think of any way in which I could come up with that sort of money," Mr Merrett said.

Upon stopping off at Monteith Street to drop off Clare, Mr Merrett told the court, Walker got into the car holding a small tomahawk.

"When he got into the vehicle I remember saying, 'You don't need that. What are you doing with that?' because it took me by surprise as to the situation that was unfolding," he said.

He said that after he and Mr Clark were taken to the Monteith Street home, they were told to sit on the lounge.

Morley hit his knee four times with a tomahawk, Mr Merrett said, and on the third time he felt "something pop".

He said Morley hit him with the blunt side of the blade so it did not cause cuts, but did leave fractures.

The trial continues.

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