Drug Dealer Creates MDMA Lab to Pay Off Gambling Debt

A resident of Canberra set up a home drug lab to create and distribute MDMA in order to pay off gambling debt after he felt his life was in danger.

Stanley Hou, aged 36, has pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing MDMA, drug trafficking, and possessing a large commercial quantity of a controlled precursor. The Canberra resident claims he created the drug lab in order to pay off gambling debt over of $60,000 to gambling bookies.

Police raided Hou’s lab after receiving reports of fumes coming from the building. Immediately after entering the building police noticed a strong chemical smell and numerous chemistry materials obviously used for manufacturing drugs. Further inspection into the 36 year olds laptop reveled that Hou had been making Google searches about how to create MDMA.

Hou’s father was killed because he could not pay off gambling debt

Not long after his arrest, it was reported that Hou’s father was killed over gambling debts that he owed. Hou claims that he only created the MDMA lab to avoid a similar fate. Associates of a bookie he owes money to had already attempted to take their money by force. A drug lab seemed to be the only for Hou to pay off gambling debt that had gotten too high for him to manage legally.

A report author told the court that Hou had began gambling though online poker sites in Australia at the age of 18. Eventually, he moved on to sports betting and horse racing. Hou’s aunt had tried to help him pay off gambling debt by loaning him over $50,000 over the course of one year. $20,000 of that money was never returned to her.

It seems likely that the Canberra gambler will serve the maximum penalty for him crimes. Prosecutor Sara Gul maintains that the sophistication of the drug lab, the fact that Hou worked alone, and the amount of planning that was needed in order to make his drug operating work will hurt his chances at getting his sentence lowered. Hou’s penalty is expected to be announced next month.

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