Lillian Moyes, partner of drug trafficking accused Tristan Donno, committed to stand trial
A court has been told a Gold Coast business owner was connected to her boyfriend’s alleged cocaine and methamphetamine ring via incriminating pictures of her posing with firearms and consuming drugs.
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A court has been told a Gold Coast business owner was connected to her boyfriend’s alleged cocaine and methamphetamine ring via incriminating pictures of her posing with firearms and consuming drugs, as well as lawfully intercepted conversations.
Clagiraba woman Lillian Grace Moyes, 26, the owner of an eponymous content creation and branding agency, Lilly Moyes Media, is facing 13 serious charges relating to a police operation last April.
The April 7, 2024 raids allegedly netted large quantities of illicit substances, as well as multiple firearms, including shortened weapons and a 3D-printed handgun made to look like an iPhone.
Her charges include possessing cocaine in excess of 2g, possessing methamphetamine in excess of 200g, discharging a weapon in a public place, and multiple counts of weapons possession.
Her most serious charges were committed for trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court by Southport Magistrate Nerida Wilson on Thursday, despite defence lawyer Jason Grant’s submission she had no case to answer.
The alleged trafficking ring came to light on the morning of April 7 last year when officers conducted raids on two properties, one at Fern St, Surfers Paradise, the other at Loder St, Biggera Waters, police prosecutor Senior Constable Matthew Thompson told the court.
The Fern St address was shared by Ms Moyes and her boyfriend Tristen Lee Donno, 27, while the Biggera Waters address was home to their associates Cain Zilus Bird and Jack William Spicer, both aged 21. All three men have been charged. None of them have entered pleas.
The court heard the group were already under surveillance when, on the evening of April 6, Mr Donno was intercepted at Yatala and allegedly found in possession of a quantity of cocaine and meth.
However, according to Senior Constable Thompson, arresting officers made a “mistake” and allowed Mr Donno back to his vehicle, after which he allegedly fled.
Senior Constable Thompson told the court intercepted phone calls made in the hours after Mr Donno’s abortive arrest uncovered a plan to allegedly ferry a cache of contraband from Mr Donno and Ms Moyes’ unit to the Biggera Waters address shared by Mr Bird and Mr Spicer.
This was allegedly done by Mr Spicer, who allegedly told fifth co-defendant Kyle Whalley, 26, in an intercepted conversation he had bundled all the drugs and weapons he could find at the couple’s address into bedding, and transported it to his and Mr Bird’s residence.
Senior Constable Thompson told the court Ms Moyes, on a separate telephone intercept, was captured telling another co-defendant she had “cleaned up” the Surfers Paradise unit. “I grabbed every piece of ammunition I could,” she allegedly said.
Police also believe she transported CCTV hard drives to Mr Bird and Mr Spicer’s residence.
The court heard that when cops swooped on the Loder St address on the morning of April 7, they discovered Ms Moyes out the front of the complex attempting to leave and Mr Bird inside.
Both were arrested. Ms Moyes told officers she was there to “check on friends”.
Senior Constable Thompson told the court the contraband and the weapons, both contained within bedding police say matched that present at Ms Moyes and Mr Donno’s unit, were discovered within a bedroom that Mr Grant, the defence lawyer, asserted was Mr Spicer’s.
A subsequent search warrant at Ms Moyes and Mr Donno’s Surfers Paradise unit allegedly uncovered items such as plastic measuring cups with crystalline residues, glass burners, and acetone, which police assert were used in the production of methamphetamine.
The group were all charged with dozens of offences the following day, April 8.
According to Senior Constable Thompson, at about 10.50am that morning, Ms Moyes was recorded as telling Mr Whalley words to the effect of, “[It was the] wrong place, wrong time for me. In saying that, we all knew what we were doing.”
Senior Constable Thompson said the case against Ms Moyes is that she had knowledge and control of the contraband such that she could be legally considered to have possessed it.
He said further evidence of this was provided by material contained within hard drives and seized mobile phones.
On January 30, 2024, CCTV allegedly recorded Mr Donno and Ms Moyes together while Mr Donno was “playing with a shortened firearm in a jovial mood”.
“Ms Moyes appears to know what’s going on,” Senior Constable Thompson said.
The court heard there were allegedly multiple videos and images of the pair recording each other consuming drugs together; Ms Moyes recording Mr Donno with a machete; Ms Moyes recording Mr Donno with a large quantity of cash in his pants while posing with a handgun and a shortened firearm; and a video of Ms Moyes shooting a firearm at night with Mr Donno’s assistance.
“We’re saying that these particular depictions show that Ms Moyes certainly has knowledge of these items contained within the [Surfers Paradise] unit, and is utilising them,” Senior Constable Thompson said.
He conceded, however, it was a “circumstantial” case.
Mr Grant, for his part, submitted there was very little direct evidence linking the contraband allegedly discovered at the Biggera Waters address to Ms Moyes.
He asserted that none of the telephone intercepts proved Ms Moyes ever possessed or had knowledge of the firearms or drugs, and where she is referenced as having that knowledge by third parties, it would be inadmissable as hearsay evidence.
He noted that Mr Spicer was directly implicated in the alleged movement of the contraband from Surfers Paradise to Biggera Waters, and that the items were ultimately discovered in that defendant’s bedroom.
Mr Grant said the most that could be said of his client is that she possessed ammunition and fired a weapon – not necessarily one of the guns allegedly discovered at Mr Bird and Mr Spicer’s unit – at an unknown time in the months leading up to the raids.
“There is no evidence to connect her to the transport of the drugs and guns,” Mr Grant said.
Ms Wilson, the magistrate, ruled the charges should be put before a jury and committed Ms Moyes to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
“The prosecution case at its highest is capable of supporting a finding of guilt,” she found.
This was because Ms Moyes was present at the Loder St address when the contraband was allegedly discovered; she had helped clean up ammunition; she resided at the Fern St unit from where the contraband was allegedly transported; and that intercepted conversations “taken at [their] highest may infer her knowledge of matters giving rise to the charges”.
The Crown has up to six months to prepare and present an indictment. Some of Ms Moyes’ lesser charges, such as possessing ammunition and discharging a weapon in a public place, will remain in Southport Magistrates Court. They will next be mentioned on September 30.
In March, Mr Donno had nine charges committed to the Brisbane Supreme Court for trial.
They included trafficking and supplying dangerous drugs, possessing cocaine in excess of 2g, and possessing meth in excess of 200g.
An indictment is yet to be presented for Mr Donno.
Additional drug and weapons charges remain before the Southport Magistrates Court. They will next be mentioned on September 18.
Mr Spicer is expected to enter pleas of guilty to a 12-count indictment in the Brisbane Supreme Court on August 15. His charges include four counts of supplying a schedule 1 drug, possessing cocaine in excess of 2g and meth in excess of 200g, three counts of possessing shortened firearms, and other weapons offences.
Mr Bird’s eight-count indictment charges him with the same offences as Mr Spicer sans the allegations of drug supply. He has not entered any pleas and is awaiting a future listing date in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
Both men have additional, lesser charges stemming from the raids that will remain in Southport Magistrates Court.
Mr Whalley, a Bundaberg native formerly of Eden’s Landing, is facing charges including trafficking in dangerous drugs, possessing shortened firearms, unlawful supply of a weapon, and supplying dangerous drugs.
His charges will next be heard in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on July 14.
A sixth co-defendant charged has not been publicly identified.
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Originally published as Lillian Moyes, partner of drug trafficking accused Tristan Donno, committed to stand trial
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