Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Kevin Mullins said Matthew Graham, 28, of Darlington Road, was detected by police on telephone intercepts as part of the Operation Underfeed talking about selling his prescribed medication OxyContin to another person between July and September last year.

Leading Senior Constable Mullins said there were 102 calls and texts between Graham and another person related to trafficking in OxyContin.

Graham had been supplying to the other person who had been selling it on. The police surveillance revealed that “cash” the two were discussing was given to a president of the Rebels motorcycle club.

On another occasion when the two were talking about “people going away”, it was during the Rebels’ national motorcycle run.

Leading Senior Constable Kevin Mullins said no drugs were seized from Graham but cash had been. 

Graham’s solicitor Xavier Farrelly said his client had been prescribed OxyContin because of a workplace injury and had been encouraged to sell the tablets.

He had been selling the medication because he was in financial distress and had been forced to sell his home in Camperdown.

Graham’s Workcover payments had been terminated, Mr Farrelly said.

Graham also pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and exceeding the speed limit on March 21 last year on the Darlington Road at Gnotuk.

Leading Senior Constable Kevin Mullins said Graham had been riding a motorbike at 120 kilometres an hour in a 100 kilometre an hour zone.

In sentencing Graham for the drug offences, magistrate John Lesser said Graham had been seeking to profit at the expense of others.

Graham would not benefit from the painkillers if he was selling them, Mr Lesser said.

He said Graham was below the top link in the drug chain but his former convictions for cannabis placed him at risk of going to jail.

He also fined Graham $750 for the driving offences.