Accused Canberra heroin dealer's claim he was in a bulk-buying group 'implausible'

The ACT Supreme Court heard the fourth day of the trial of Chang-Kee Song on a charge each of heroin trafficking and money laundering on Tuesday.

Mr Song was arrested in June last year during a police raid on his home, where officers found nearly $400,000 in cash hidden in a safe in an underground storage room, just under five grams of heroin and drug-related paraphernalia.

He had told the court that about $250,000 of the cash found at his Phillip home was derived from gambling and the rest from personal savings.

While Mr Song had originally pleaded not guilty to both charges, he has since changed his plea on the trafficking charge to guilty after a witness testified that she had bought heroin from him at least once between March and June last year.

He has maintained the not guilty plea to money laundering, disputing facts tendered to court by police, and claimed he was not a drug dealer, rather a member of a bulk-buying group of heroin users.

But prosecutor Katie McCann said on Tuesday the only reasonable inference from all the evidence, including phone call intercepts, was that "this was him selling heroin to his buyers" and the bulk-buying argument was "simply implausible".

She argued given his contacts in the drug trade, the heroin and the amount of money found at his house, he had no need to be part of such a buying group.

Mr Song's defence barrister James Stewart argued Mr Song had told police from the initial arrest he was part of such a buying group and the Crown's case relied on only one witness and mostly circumstantial evidence.

Mr Stewart did not dispute the witnesses evidence about the single $160 amount of heroin Mr Song sold to her during the period relevant to the trafficking charge, but argued any other alleged sales could not be brought to bear in judgement on that charge.

On the money laundering charge, Ms McCann said it was improbable he had obtained the money only through gambling and personal savings.

She also told the court that he had only told police during the search about the $19,000-odd found on the kitchen table, not the $377,000-odd in the safe.

But Mr Stewart told the court Mr Song was under no obligation to say to police: "Hang on fellas, there's also a safe with $377,000 dollars in it".

Ms McCann said given Ms Song was on an average $35,000 income during much of the period he said he had saved money, and that he had living expenses and a heroin addiction to support, it was unlikely he saved as much as he contended

She said the drugs, money and various paraphernalia also supported the contention Mr Song had gained the money through drug dealing.

But Mr Stewart argued that ultimately it came down to the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Song had not simply possessed the money, but that there was "intent" to launder it, despite that element being unclear from the legislation and law reports.

He said that given the charge levelled at Mr Song was money laundering and not unlawful possession or a similar charge that might commonly accompany drugs charges, the prosecution had to establish that intention.

Justice David Mossop ended the hearing asking both parties to return documents to court on Wednesday detailing "what needs to be established in order for the Crown to establish (money laundering)" and reserved his judgement.