Strike Force Kotzur: Tamworth personal trainer Mark McDonald could make offer to plead to drug charges, Tamworth court told

Mark John McDonald remained in the cells of the police station and did not appear in Tamworth Local Court when his solicitor mentioned his matter this week.

Solicitor Amanda Gaw said she had reviewed the brief and been speaking with her 33-year-old client in custody. 

She said “there has been some negotiations”, and if they had a little more time they “could be in a position to make an offer”.

DPP solicitor Geoffrey Kidd said McDonald was one of four co-accused and he perused the brief of evidence this week and said there were “still brief items to be served”.

“A number of telephones were seized,” he said. “I’ve asked the officer-in-charge if they have been examined.”

McDonald is charged with 21 drug-related offences and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, if found guilty.

Ms Gaw said her client had been in custody since his arrest in December by detectives from Strike Force Kotzur – the secret operation by Oxley police to investigate an alleged drug ring.

“My client is keen to move the matter forward,” she said.

Mr Kidd told the court while he appreciated “my friend is in a position to make an offer”, he said he needed to know about the analysis of the phones.

“A plea offer by one accused has the potential to influence another co-accused,” he said. 

He asked for a lengthy adjournment to allow negotiations to continue.

“There have already been discussions taking place in the matter of McDonald,” he said.

“[Those] discussions can be crystalised by that date.”

Magistrate Julie Soars said she understood “this is a complicated matter, I know there is a number of co-accused”.

She granted the adjournment and formally refused McDonald bail.

Co-accused Dylan Rutter remains refused bail on drug supply charges, while Matthew Raymond Hill and Nicholas Hansen, 30, remain on conditional bail on supply charges.