Kyla
07-24-2004, 07:25 PM
Police claim boy, 6, used in heroin deal
By Rhett Watson
July 25, 2004
A BOY just old enough to be in school graduated to heroin dealer at the hands of his brother and mother, a court heard yesterday.
The boy, believed to be as young as six, supplied heroin to an undercover police officer.
The officer was part of a team of Fairfield police who had been investigating the Belmore Rd, Villawood household for more than five months.
Yesterday, the boy's 39-year-old mother, Soeun Bun, and 18-year-old brother, Sophors Yoeun, appeared in Parramatta Court on a combined 10 drug charges.
It was the officer's second visit to the house, on June 22, when the child's role as a drug mule was revealed, according to a police statement tendered in court.
Known as Ben, the officer went to pay Yoeun $50 for a single foil of heroin, weighing 0.2 grams, when the teenager indicated toward his younger brother and said "Give it to him", the police statement alleged.
It was alleged the child's mother was looking on at the time and walked outside with the boy.
Moments later the boy returned to Ben's side, his small right hand bearing heroin; the same drug Yoeun has admitted to using in a $700-a-week habit.
During the deal - completed in the kitchen - Yoeun sat with a girl on a mattress while two other teenage boys looked on.
A 12-year-old girl was also arrested in the house but no further details of her charges have become available.
Police allege the Housing Department home has been used as a drug house for a "substantive amount of time".
Prospective drug buyers continued to arrive at the house while police were inside, resulting in a further 11 arrests.
In all, the undercover officer bought heroin five times from people in the Villawood home, including from Yoeun and Bun, between June 10 and Friday, the police statement alleged.
Both have denied dealing in drugs, with Bun allegedly telling police her son had many friends who attended the home for short periods of time.
Yoeun is accused of recruiting a child to assist in a serious indictable offence, supplying a prohibited drug on three occasions, possessing a prohibited drug, running a drug house and assaulting a police officer.
Bun was charged with supplying a prohibited drug, allowing a premises to be used as a drug house, and taking action that results in the emotional and intellectual damage of a child.
Police allegedly seized a large amount of cash, numerous mobile phones and drug paraphernalia during the raid on the family home.
Bun's remaining six children are now in the custody of the Department of Community Services.
She and Yoeun were both refused bail in court and remanded in custody to appear in Fairfield Court tomorrow.
The Sunday Telegraph
By Rhett Watson
July 25, 2004
A BOY just old enough to be in school graduated to heroin dealer at the hands of his brother and mother, a court heard yesterday.
The boy, believed to be as young as six, supplied heroin to an undercover police officer.
The officer was part of a team of Fairfield police who had been investigating the Belmore Rd, Villawood household for more than five months.
Yesterday, the boy's 39-year-old mother, Soeun Bun, and 18-year-old brother, Sophors Yoeun, appeared in Parramatta Court on a combined 10 drug charges.
It was the officer's second visit to the house, on June 22, when the child's role as a drug mule was revealed, according to a police statement tendered in court.
Known as Ben, the officer went to pay Yoeun $50 for a single foil of heroin, weighing 0.2 grams, when the teenager indicated toward his younger brother and said "Give it to him", the police statement alleged.
It was alleged the child's mother was looking on at the time and walked outside with the boy.
Moments later the boy returned to Ben's side, his small right hand bearing heroin; the same drug Yoeun has admitted to using in a $700-a-week habit.
During the deal - completed in the kitchen - Yoeun sat with a girl on a mattress while two other teenage boys looked on.
A 12-year-old girl was also arrested in the house but no further details of her charges have become available.
Police allege the Housing Department home has been used as a drug house for a "substantive amount of time".
Prospective drug buyers continued to arrive at the house while police were inside, resulting in a further 11 arrests.
In all, the undercover officer bought heroin five times from people in the Villawood home, including from Yoeun and Bun, between June 10 and Friday, the police statement alleged.
Both have denied dealing in drugs, with Bun allegedly telling police her son had many friends who attended the home for short periods of time.
Yoeun is accused of recruiting a child to assist in a serious indictable offence, supplying a prohibited drug on three occasions, possessing a prohibited drug, running a drug house and assaulting a police officer.
Bun was charged with supplying a prohibited drug, allowing a premises to be used as a drug house, and taking action that results in the emotional and intellectual damage of a child.
Police allegedly seized a large amount of cash, numerous mobile phones and drug paraphernalia during the raid on the family home.
Bun's remaining six children are now in the custody of the Department of Community Services.
She and Yoeun were both refused bail in court and remanded in custody to appear in Fairfield Court tomorrow.
The Sunday Telegraph