Brendon James Thomas, 23, did not apply for bail in Orange Local Court on Tuesday and it was formally refused.

He was charged with 15 counts of supplying a prohibited drug greater than the indictable amount, two counts of supplying drugs in small amounts, two counts of supplying drugs in commercial quantities - 944 grams and 125 grams respectively - and supplying on an ongoing basis.

The drug offences allegedly occurred between December last year and April this year in Newcastle, Charleston, Warners Bay and Macquarie Hills, and involved ecstasy and ice. Thomas was also charged with knowingly participating in a criminal group.

His solicitor Michael Madden said Thomas needed to show cause to be granted bail.

“That’s on the basis of the commercial quantity charge, but I would argue that’s not the case,” he said.

But after further deliberation, Mr Madden asked for the release hearing to be held on Friday, where it would be taken over by Legal Aid.

Thomas did not appear before the court.

He had already attended court on Monday for driving with ecstasy and ice in his system in May, which put him in breach of two good behaviour bonds for drug possession and resisting and assaulting police from last year.

At the hearing, Mr Madden said Thomas had undergone full-time rehabilitation and argued the police-related offences, where he kicked an officer in the chest, were alcohol-fuelled, not drug-related.

The pre-sentence report said Thomas has abstained from drug use since his arrest and drank less often.

Magistrate Terry Lucas handed  Thomas $600 in fines and a three-month disqualification period for the drug driving charge, but did not act on the bond breaches. He also quashed a habitual offender’s order after Mr Madden argued it was three years old.

“When you go home, you need to thank your solicitor - there will be no action on the Section 12 bonds because of the good reasons provided in the pre-sentence report and the submissions from Mr Madden,” he said.

“Breach it again and it’ll be ugly.”

But the reprieve was short-lived and Thomas was taken back into custody by strike force police outside the courthouse. Thomas has links to Newcastle, where the strike force is targeting a drug syndicate.