Christopher Eid faces court in Orange over city cocaine supply

Christopher Eid, 34, of Diamond Drive, was caught as part of Strike Force Pimm, which police established to investigate the supply of cocaine in the Orange area.

Barrister Evan James said Eid spent about seven months in custody but is now getting his life back in order. He was released and granted bail after his family put up a $1 million surety.

Eid was arrested on February 19, 2019. After negotiations he pleaded guilty to supplying 14 grams of cocaine on May 24, 2018, and 56 grams of cocaine between July 4 and 5, 2018.

During the police investigation, two co-offenders were seen getting cocaine from his house. On one occasion, Nathaniel Alexandar Mepham, retrieved 14 grams of cocaine from a box-trailer parked outside Eid's home, and on another day Eid supplied Dylan Anthony McManus with 28 grams of cocaine.

During a search of Eid's home, police also found nine different types of steroids, testosterone and human growth hormone in Eid's bedroom with 260 tablets, 44 vials and 21 ampules.

He also had an extendable baton in his car and six shotgun rounds, which were all taken into account during sentencing.

Although Eid earns $200,000 a year through his air-conditioning and refrigeration business, he supplemented his income by supplying the drugs to fuel his own drug dependency.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Carl Smith said Eid minimised his offending in a written report to the court and said he used the drugs to treat an underlying health condition.

"This is not a third-world country where a person cannot walk into a doctor's office," Sergeant Smith said.

"Sourcing cocaine and other illicit drugs is harder than walking into a doctors office and getting treatment."

Magistrate David Day lectured Eid on the social impact of cocaine and the murders of civilians and police by drug cartels in countries such as Columbia and Mexico before it is trafficked to Australia.

Mr Day gave Eid a community-based three-year Intensive Correction Order. During the sentencing in Orange Local Court he also gave Eid two 50-hour community service orders.

Eid will have to abstain from drugs, and comply with a treatment plan as part of the community-based custodial sentences.

Eid's Orange co-offenders each received full-time jail sentences for their involvement in the drug supply.

McManus was given two years' jail with a non-parole period of 13 months and 19 days in Parkes District Court on March 31, 2020.

Mepham received 40 months' jail with a 22-month non-parole period in Orange District Court on February 20, 2020.

Seth Dunbar was given a two-years jail with 12-month non-parole period in Orange Local Court on February 26, 2020.

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