Notorious Aussie drug lord sentenced to 20 years in jail

The notorious head of a South Australian drug-trafficking network has been sentenced to almost 20 years in jail.

Robert Gordon Pollybank Gee, the alleged drug lord, was sentenced yesterday in the District Court for drug charges dating back to 2006, ABC News reported.

The court heard how the 64 year old was a pivotal figure in the operation of a drug-trafficking network which illegally imported large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and LSD, according to the District Court’s verdict.

The court heard that Gee was among five men apprehended at Bar Funk on Bangla Road in 2016 by Patong Police and the Tourist Police, as well as the Australian Federal Police. Police tracked their actions using mobile phones and surveillance, resulting in the acquisition of evidence.

Regardless of whether it was just to pay off gambling debts, Justice McIntyre found that Gee’s motivation was financial. The drug lord’s position at the pinnacle of the operation, combined with his absconding to Thailand and four previous drug convictions, warranted a more severe sentence than his co-accused, according to her.

Gee was handed a 19-year and six-month head sentence with a 12-year non-parole term, which was backdated to 2020.

Gee fled Australia in 2011 when he was facing drug charges. After the arrests, police discovered drugs valued at approximately US$1.2 million in an Adelaide home.

The drug lord was granted bail but absconded to Thailand in 2011 using a forged passport. He spent over four years in a Thai jail, where his health deteriorated, after being detained for passport offences in 2016. After serving his sentence, police applied for his extradition, and Gee was returned to Australia in 2020 to stand trial.

Justice Julie McIntyre expressed concerns with Gee’s testimony that he sold drugs to pay off a US$400,000 gambling debt during the trial.

She told Gee that this argument had little impact on the severity of the crime.

Gee’s case serves as a warning to individuals who believe they can evade the law and continue to engage in illegal activities. The sentence demonstrates that the courts take drug trafficking seriously and will impose lengthy sentences on those who participate in such activity.

Gee being questioned by Royal Thai Police in 2016.