BEFORE he was stopped in a Newcastle carpark last year, detectives finding 1 kilogram of ice and $40,000 in cash hidden in secret compartments inside his car, Kevin Song had been involved in one of the 10 largest drug importations in Australian history.
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Song, now 32, was on Friday jailed for a maximum of seven-and-a-half years, with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to supplying large quantities of methamphetamine and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
At the time of his arrest, in the Newcastle East Woolworths car park on March 22 last year, Song was on parole for his role in the importation of 541kg of methamphetamine from California into Sydney in 2017.
The drugs, with a potential street value of $324 million, were hidden in nearly 400 containers purporting to be protein powder and, at the time, Australian Federal Police said the importation was one of the 10 largest drug hauls in the nation's history.
Song's role in the importation was to unpack and check the consignments in a Smithfield warehouse.
Unfortunately for him, shortly after he discovered Australian Border Force officers had replaced the ice with sand, police swooped and arrested Song and several other young men.
He was later jailed for a maximum of eight years and three months, with a non-parole period of five years and three months, and had only spent nine months on parole when he was arrested over the methamphetamine and cash found in the Newcastle East car park.
According to court documents, Song had driven to a friend's apartment block at Sydney Olympic Park about 9.30am on March 22 last year.
He handed the man a plastic bag containing 490 grams of methamphetamine and asked him to keep it in his car to be later supplied to another customer.
The pair then drove north to Newcastle, stopping in the Woolworths car park off King Street before police swooped.
Song claimed he was in Newcastle to conduct a house inspection, but police had been conducting surveillance and using tracking and listening devices and had heard the sound of the spare tyre in the boot being moved.
Detectives found the hidden compartment in the boot and one in the centre console and located the 1kg of ice, $41,500 in cash and several mobile phones.
Song was taken back behind bars and his parole for the methamphetamine importation was revoked.
This prompted Judge Robert Sutherland to find Song's prospects of rehabilitation were "extremely guarded", saying he "entertained a degree of scepticism about [Song's] expressions of remorse".
Song's lawyers had said the drug supply in Newcastle was a "one off", but Judge Sutherland disagreed and pointed to the cash, the quantities and the hidden compartments.
He jailed Song for at least four-and-a-half years, meaning he will not be eligible for parole until April, 2028.
A co-accused, Jae Son, has pleaded not guilty and will face a trial in February, 2025.
