Local News

Is Sly Grogging out of Control in Halls Creek?

by Gerard Willett
Editor

Firstly, let me state for the record!

It is an offence to sell liquor without a licence or to carry liquor for the purpose of sale.

This is often known as sly grogging.

There are substantial fines for sly grogging and any vehicle in which that liquor was carried may also be seized and be liable to forfeiture.

To assist in the control of this illegal sale, people aware of sly grogging are encouraged to call the Sly Grog Hotline on 1800 333 000. Your call can be treated anonymously.

So, the big question! Is Sly Grogging out of control in Halls Creek? You be the judge!

As I am a non drinker, I really don’t know. I had to find out for sure. So I searched for a Confidential Informants or C.I.

I found 2 people willing to chat with me off the record, however, one of them failed to respond to the further enquiries we made.

I began by asking some basic questions to see for myself how bad this sly grogging was.

Q1.
Have you purchased Sly Grog from anyone in Halls Creek?
A 1.
Yes, all the time

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Q2.
How many people sell alcohol after hours that you know of?
A2.
It depends, sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, it depend on what they have.

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Q3.
How many people do you know of that Sly Grog in Halls Creek?

A3.
I know for sure 7 separate people who sell, but I know there are a lot more.

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Q4.
What type of alcohol do you normally buy from these people, and how much do they charge?

A4.
Bottle of Bundaberg Rum – 1lt = $150
Jim Beam Bourbon 750ml = $100
30 pack of Red or Green cans from $100 to $150 it depends on who is selling.

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Q5.
Do you agree with what these people are doing?

A5. Yes and no. Sometimes because there is no grog in Halls Creek it’s handy to have, but they are ripping people off. Compared to the prices they sell for in liquor stores.

***********

Q6.
Would you ever dob these people into the Police for doing what they do?

A6.
I have thought about it. If I had it my way I would dob the whole lot of them in for what they are doing. But when you want to buy alcohol for an after hours drink, there is no one to go to if they are all locked up in jail.

***********

I asked the informant for the names and addresses of these sly groggers. The informant was not too happy to supply the details, however, I promised them under the journalist code of conduct that I would never devulge these name. So with a little more convincing they gave me the names and addresses of 7 sly groggers in Halls Creek.

After I was told the names of these people I was shocked at who appeared on this list.

I must admit the list contained people I would never have thought would do this. Some people in high places as well.

Don’t worry, I will go to my grave with this little secret. Along with all of the other little secrets I have.

All I will say to the local Police is this. If you are going to bust these people, “don’t look for the obvious”, you will find nothing. Look for people you would never suspect.

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