Tamworth 'ice castle': Phu Van Lam, Suri Samantha Phoumindr and Luke Anthony Downs await sentencing for drug supply

Sydney pair Phu Van Lam and Suri Samantha Phoumindr did not appear in Tamworth District Court when their cases were called, but the date for their sentencing has been set.

The pair previously pleaded guilty to charges of supplying more than a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine; while a charge of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime will be taken into account when the judgement is handed down.

Phoumindr has been bail refused and behind bars since she was arrested by strike force police in Sydney in June 2019.

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Van Lam has also spent more than a year-and-a-half behind bars after he handed himself into police in July 2019. An arrest warrant had been issued for him in court, with police making a statewide appeal in 2019 to find him before he was arrested.

Judge Deborah Payne has confirmed she will sentence the pair in May.

The court heard there had been delays with getting some "subjective material" and a short extension was needed before sentencing could happen.

Judge Payne told the solicitor appearing for both Van Lam and Phoumindr to work toward making sure the May date could be met and any submissions and reports were tendered on time.

"Just do your best, do a bit more than your best and try and follow my timetable," Judge Payne said.

"I'm not going to put it back in for mention, any changes you need to let the court know."

The court heard a barrister for Van Lam was still being finalised, with the defence waiting on an approval from Legal Aid.

A third man involved in the 'ice castle' operation is also set to be sentenced in Tamworth District Court later this month.

Luke Anthony Downs pleaded guilty to charges against him last year, including firing a shotgun and dealing a commercial quantity of the drug ice.

Downs will appear in person in Tamworth for his sentencing, at his solicitor's request.

He was first arrested in February 2019 and has been behind bars since.

More than 30 people were charged as part of Strike Force Radius in 2019.

The secret police sting was set up by Oxley detectives to expose the Tamworth 'ice castle' ring, which involved supplies centred around a housing commission unit in Petra Avenue, nicknamed the 'ice castle' by some of the accused.

The accused are the last to be sentenced in the long-running case.

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