Judge Peter Berman said Mark Allan Paxton ran a "one-stop shop" for Newcastle's drug dealers after making three $100,000 deals last year.

Police found 38,700 ecstasy tablets, 335 grams of cocaine, half a kilogram of methylamphetamine, half a kilogram of heroin and 2.6 kilograms of cannabis when they searched Paxton's Balmain home in May last year.

The ecstasy weighed 81/2 kilograms.

Paxton, 35, pleaded guilty to supplying large commercial quantities of drugs and was jailed for a minimum of 21 years.

He will be eligible for parole in 2029.

"This was enormous, large-scale drug dealing," Judge Berman said.

"These were quantities rarely seen in this court."

Strike Force Nellinda was established to investigate drug dealers in the Newcastle area, a statement of facts said.

The area's dealers were looking for a reliable source of the drug ice when they were introduced to Paxton in March last year.

The first deal of 15 ounces (425 grams) of ice at $6500 per ounce fell through, but Paxton quickly organised a deal for 10 ounces (283 grams) of ice and 16 ounces (453 grams) of the drug speed for $110,000.

Paxton offered heroin at $10,000 per ounce and ecstasy at $11 per tablet for orders of 1000 or more or $10 per tablet for orders of 10,000 or more.

Another deal was organised on April 13 for Paxton to sell 500 grams of ice for $115,000.

The drugs and cash were exchanged two days later.

On May 8 a deal to sell 18 or 20 ounces of ice fell through, but the buyers left $110,000 with Paxton. They returned the next day and picked up 20 ounces (566 grams) of methylamphetamine and 3.1 kilograms of cannabis.

Paxton was owed a further $45,000 for the deal.

He was arrested that day.

Paxton told the court he was a drug addict who let people store drugs at his house.

He refused to name names because he feared for his life.

Judge Berman said Paxton was trying to minimise his criminality.