A Ngunnawal man has marked his birthday by pleading guilty to a drug trafficking charge, having been busted with nearly 60 times the trafficable quantity of cocaine during a raid on his "humble domain".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Jason Gary Pahl, 24, also pleaded guilty to four firearms charges when he appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Court documents show police executed search warrants at Pahl's home in November 2020, seizing more than 352 grams of cocaine. The minimum trafficable quantity of that drug is 6 grams.
Officers found the substance, along with drug paraphernalia, in Pahl's garage, a room attached to it, and a bedroom.
The 24-year-old described the latter, where some of the cocaine was hidden in an air conditioning unit, as "my humble domain".
The search also revealed Pahl had failed to properly store a longarm rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and ammunition.
MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS
During the raid, Pahl told police the items they had found had nothing to do with his partner or his son.
"It's just me, not them," he told officers.
Nevertheless, Pahl initially pleaded not guilty to five charges.
He did an about-face on Thursday, however, pleading guilty to drug trafficking, two counts of failing to properly store a firearm, and two counts of failing to store ammunition in an approved container.
Magistrate Robert Cook committed Pahl to the ACT Supreme Court, where the 24-year-old will be sentenced.
Pahl, who remains on bail, is due to appear in the superior court for the first time on March 10.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
