In Tamworth Local Court yesterday, Vincent Maxwell Duffy admitted to supplying a prohibited drug, while Darren James Dunn pleaded guilty to supplying more than an indictable quantity of an illegal drug.

The men were charged by detectives attached to Strike Force Mewburn, which carried out several raids and arrests in Tamworth, Nundle and Westdale in March.

Duffy, 35, was supported by family in court yesterday and pleaded guilty to the single count of supply, while a charge of possessing more than half a kilogram of cannabis will be taken into account when Duffy learns his fate in the district court later this year.

As part of the facts tendered in court, Duffy supplied cannabis between September last year and March 10, when the police operation unfolded, and also had almost half a kilogram of cannabis leaf in his possession when he was arrested.

Dunn, the co-accused, admitted to supplying amphetamine but has been granted an adjournment, after his solicitor told the court it was a “matter for sentence” but there were issues with the facts that still needed to be addressed.

“So a plea of guilty is entered?” Mr Holmes said.

“Yes,” Dunn’s solicitor replied.

The alleged ringleaders of the group accused of supplying methamphetamine, Mark Jeffrey Hicks, and former Rebels Tamworth chapter president Brent Douglas Murray, did not appear in court and remain in custody.

The pair is yet to enter pleas and did not make any application for bail, and DPP solicitor Fiona Irwin said transcripts were still outstanding on a number of matters.

Bradley James O’Connor, Craig Leigh O’Brien, Shane O’Brien and Gregory Alan McBride also fronted court yesterday. Their matters were adjourned to next month.

“These matters are dragging on,” Magistrate Michael Holmes said, asking for the cases to be ready to proceed in August.

The court heard, in several of the cases, solicitors had started negotiations with the DPP to resolve issues with the facts.

Shannara Kelly – the only woman charged in connection with the strike force – was also granted more time by the court.

The DPP said an adjournment would allow for “facts to be agreed and the matter resolved”.

“I did receive quite a large amount of material last week, so I’m working through that,” solicitor Yvonne Phillipos said.

Strike Force Mewburn was launched by Oxley detectives in June last year to investigate the sale of illegal drugs in Tamworth and has led to the arrests of alleged members and associates of the Rebels bikie gang.

The operation also stripped bare and shut down the Tamworth chapter’s headquarters in Macquarie St.