Two men - one the brother of Brisbane Broncos star Payne Haas - have been refused bail in court over charges of trafficking and supplying methamphetamine.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Magistrate Ron Maiden told Maitland Local Court on Friday morning the allegations facing Zeda Haas, 20, and Kaharau Beer, 19, were "extremely serious".
The men were arrested during a vehicle stop at Beresfield on Tuesday, where police seized a package that contained a substitute for the drug ice, which was under surveillance.
Each man is facing one count of trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, and taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
Magistrate Maiden said the prosecution case against Mr Beer appeared to be "extremely strong" and ruled that cause had not been shown as to why he should be granted conditional release.
He said the case against Mr Haas did not appear to be as strong as that facing Mr Beer, but he told the court Mr Haas represented an unacceptable flight risk.
Defence barrister Peter Lange on Wednesday argued that the trafficking count - a Commonwealth charge - was "doomed to fail" because the men were in possession of a drug substitute rather than an illicit substance.
But Magistrate Maiden said on Friday he believed any possible question over the Commonwealth charge would not significantly damage the prosecution case, considering the allegations levelled at the men.
He said Mr Beer and Mr Haas faced a jail term of "quite a number of years" if convicted.
Court documents show Mr Beer has been charged with knowingly supplying 4.05kg of ice, while Mr Haas' count relates to 1.8kg of the drug.
The men were arrested when police stopped a ute on Apprentice Close at Beresfield at 11.45am on Tuesday.
Police allege officers found 1.8kg of a substance believed to be methamphetamine - with an estimated street value of $1 million - in the vehicle.
The court heard earlier this week that both men appeared to be Queensland residents, despite also giving NSW addresses.
Police will allege Tuesday's arrests at Beresfield are linked to Australian Border Force officers earlier this month seizing two parcels from the USA - one containing 1.8kg and the other 2.2kg of ice, believed to have a street value of $3.5 million.
The pair will face Newcastle Local Court on October 18.
