Queensland police have allegedly seized over $300k in cash and cannabis during a failed drug deal in a Brisbane hotel car park.
Brisbane police allegedly interrupted a drug deal in the car park of the South Brisbane Novotel Hotel on Tuesday. According to police, officers from Taskforce Sentry discovered two men and a suspicious large briefcase in the car park.
When the suitcase was opened, it was found to contain roughly 14.5 kilograms of cannabis, worth over $261,000 on Brisbane’s black market.
Officers then searched the hotel room of one of the men where they discovered $103,000 in cash.
This led police to arrest the two men: 38-year-old David William John Gellvear from South Australia and 51-year-old Queensland local Greg Suttie. Gellvear was charged with trafficking and possessing dangerous drugs, possessing items used in the commission of a crime, and possessing property obtained from trafficking dangerous drugs. Police also allege they seized a cypher phone from Gellvear.
Suttie faces similar charges, including trafficking, two counts of possessing items used in a crime, and possessing property obtained from trafficking and possessing drugs.
Gellvear faced Brisbane Arrests Court on Wednesday, where Magistrate Michael Quinn granted him bail on the provision that he lives in his Adelaide home, report to police twice a week and avoid Suttie. Suttie was also granted bail in his court appearance.
Gellvear was described as an “upstanding citizen” by his defence lawyer Rebecca Mann. He has no previous criminal history.
He’s contributed to society in various employment roles, and these allegations are really an aberration against what has been a law abiding life.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Min Hu rebuked this in court, pointing out that the quantity of cannabis in the briefcase couldn’t possibly be for personal use.
Both Gellvear and Suttie will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court in the coming months. Gellvear is expected on May 24th, and Suttie is expected on June 2nd.
Taskforce Sentry is continuing to investigate where the briefcase full of cannabis came from.