In news that will shock the Lismore and Northern Rivers business community, The Book Warehouse co-owner, Sarah Morrow, pleaded guilty to five charges of supplying, take part in supplying and deemed to supply a prohibited drug in Lismore Local Court yesterday.

The two 'take part in supply of a prohibited drug' charges involved commercial quantities.

Ms Morrow will be sentenced on Wednesday, July 16.

The incident dates back to February 2024 when Strike Force McClelland was established by officers attached to the Northern Rivers Region Enforcement Squad (NRRES) to investigate the ongoing supply of prohibited drugs in the Tweed Heads, Byron Bay and Evans Head areas.

As part of ongoing investigations, officers attached to the NRRES, assisted by the Tactical Operations Unit, stopped a vehicle at a service station in Chinderah on Wednesday, 31 July 2024. Three people in the vehicle, a 37-year-old woman, and two men aged 28 and 51, were arrested at the scene.

On the same day, officers attached to Northern Operations, Tweed/Byron and Richmond Police District executed three search warrants simultaneously in Evans Head and Tweed Heads, while officers from the Queensland Police Service executed three search warrants on the Gold Coast on behalf of NSW Police.

Among the items located and seized were seven pistols, one shotgun, one rifle, nine gel blasters, three electronic stun devices, knuckle dusters, flick knives, batons, handcuffs, cocaine, more than a litre of GBL, steroids, almost 1.5kg of methamphetamine, fireworks, and almost $40,000 in cash.

Police then laid charges against the three people arrested at Chinderah, with an additional two men and a woman subsequently arrested and charged. One of which was Sarah Morrow.

Not guilty pleas were entered in August 2024.

In September 2024, Ms Morrow was granted conditional bail after being charged with 15 offences relating to the supply and possession of a prohibited drug and the possession of an unauthorised firearm and ammunition.

The bail conditions included;

• Reporting to the Lismore Police Station three times a week
• Not to go within 5km of the Evans Head Post Office
• Must stay each night at a Lismore LGA address
• Must not drink alcohol or take drugs not prescribed by a doctor
• Surrender passport

Sarah Morrow put up $20,000 bail security to comply with the acknowledgement, while another 'acceptable' person has put up $10,000.

Bail was varied in December 2024 to live in the 2473 post code, report to the Evans Head police three times a week, and not to enter any international airport or other departure point from Australia.

Over the next eight months, there have been a number of committal hearings in Balina Local Court, initially, and more recently, Lismore Local Court.

In March 2025, eight charges were withdrawn, leaving eight charges to be determined.

In Lismore Local Court yesterday, Sarah Morrow pleaded guilty to:

• Seq 1 - Actual offence - Supply prohibited drug >indictable 

• Seq 10 - Actual offence - Possess unauthorised pistol-T2 / 81638957

• Seq 12 - Actual offence - Take part supply prohib drug > indictable & < comm qty-T1 / 81638957

• Seq 13 - Actual offence - Take part supply prohib drug > indictable & < comm qty-T1 / 81638957

• Seq 16 - Deemed supply prohibited drug - Supply prohibited drug >indictable 

Over the next seven weeks, Magistrate Dakin will review all the evidence and sentence Sarah Morrow on July 16. The sentence is at Magistrate Dakin's discretion. It may involve other penalties that do not involve incarceration, or it could involve a custodial sentence.

Sarah Morrow's bail conditions were not changed at yesterday's court appearance.