A four-month undercover operation by NSW police ended just after 10.30pm last night when a 22-year-old man was arrested at a McDonalds restaurant in western Sydney. Ryan Kirkbride was charged with selling a commercial supply of a prohibited drug, with police claiming he had arranged the supply of 2,000 ecstasy pills for this weekend’s Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney.

Said to have a street value of roughly $80,000, police are sure that the arrest has put a dent in the supply of illicit drugs for the annual parade and party. “We will be alleging that the drugs were destined for the Mardi Gras parade,” NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn told the Daily Telegraph. “The disruption of this drug supply chain has put a dent into the market and it will reduce the amount of drugs available. It’s essential that people understand we are going to target drug crime up to and including the Mardi Gras parade.”

The arrest comes after Strike Force Boult was established in October last year, with its main target to stop the supply of ecstasy in the Sydney area. It’s alleged that Kirkbride sold quantities of the drug on several occasions to undercover officers throughout the investigation. At the time of his arrest drugs were recovered from his car, and his house in Wentworthville was also raided.