ONE of the men at the centre of the Tamworth "ice castle" drug and gun dealing ring has had his bid for bail put on ice.
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Cory Alan Cloake was due to lodge a release application in Tamworth Local Court this week, but it's on hold after his solicitor was taken to hospital.
Cloake was one of the first of five to be arrested during a co-ordinated police sting in May that led to the dismantling of the alleged ice ring.
He's facing 24 firearm charges, including unlawfully selling firearms three or more times within 12 months - a charge that carries a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment, if found guilty. He is yet to enter pleas.
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Cloake appeared via video link this week in Tamworth Local Court, where agent solicitor Geoff Archer took on the case.
He said Cloake's solicitor had "unfortunately fallen ill and has been taken to hospital". He asked for the bail review to be adjourned for two weeks.
"I think there's some further work that needs to go into that matter," he said.
He said Cloake's solicitor was "in the middle of doing some investigative work" and a two-week adjournment was needed to finalise the release bid.
"Issues that need to go into the bail application can be investigated," Mr Archer said.
Magistrate Julie Soars delayed the bail review and the case will return to court mid-September.
"Today, he is bail not applied for, refused," she said.
Close to 20 people have now been charged in connection to the "ice castle" investigation, which was run by Strike Force Radius - an operation involving Oxley detectives and the Tamworth Target Action Group (TAG).
Two men - Hayden Lansdown, 23, from Tamworth and Ashley Hoye, 31, from the Central Coast - are wanted in connection to the ice castle sting. They're facing drugs and firearms charges and are allegedly avoiding police.
Simone Leah Hatch, Ethan Johnson, Andrew Thomas Woodbury and Simon Mitchell Cowan are on bail on drug supply charges. Peter Trompa and Neil Edward Cook were granted conditional release earlier this month.
All the other accused - including Stephen Hanshaw and his partner, Rebecca Hanshaw - remain behind bars.