TWO brothers have admitted to taking part in manufacturing drugs after backyard meth labs were uncovered near Inverell.
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Liam and Rhys Hoynes - who fled to Queensland after police discovered the clandestine labs in 2018 - have admitted to some of the charges against them after almost a year behind bars.
The brothers appeared in Inverell Local Court late last week and admitted to allegations of possessing a precursor intended to be used in the manufacture of drugs; and possessing drug manufacturing apparatus to make prohibited drugs.
They also pleaded guilty to taking part in the manufacture of more than an indictable quantity of drugs.
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Charges of manufacturing prohibited drugs were withdrawn against the brothers.
After the pleas, magistrate Mark Richardson committed the pair for sentence to the district court in Armidale in September.
Both were denied bail during the hearing, and will remain in custody until a sentencing date is fixed next month.
The brothers have been behind bars in NSW since October when they were extradited from Queensland.
The pair were wanted by New England detectives after raids on properties in Inverell and Tingha in 2018 unearthed two large-scale clandestine drug labs.
They were on the run when they were spotted in Queensland in late June 2018 and arrested in a police operation, before being jailed for Queensland offences.
Strike Force Clune - the secret police operation by New England detectives and the state's drugs and firearm squad - unearthed the large-scale meth labs in Mitchell Crescent in Inverell and Winterwood Road in Tingha.
Police claimed the labs, which were discovered in April 2018, were used to manufacture the drug ice and MDMA.
At the time, New England police claimed the drugs were destined for the local market.
More than 400 items, including drug precursors, glassware and documents, have been seized by police as part of the large-scale drug investigation.
The police operation took several days to dismantle the clan labs, with Fire and Rescue NSW crews called to back up forensic police, the chemical operations unit and local police.