Gold Coast’s youngest busted drug dealers: Mikayla Noakes, Jed Conroy, Rebecca Paige Martin
From a social media model to an elite school graduates, the city’s youth have been deeply involved in illicit enterprises. See the youngest dealers busted on the Gold Coast.
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FROM Instafamous and elite school graduates to mums and those trying to be “cool”, young drug dealers come from all walks of life and a Gold Coast social worker says education in schools needs to change.
SEE THE FULL LIST BELOW
Gold Coast youth worker Leisa J Logan has seen what sends youth down the wrong path through her work at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre.
Ms Logan worked at the detention centre for five years leading into the pandemic, she now runs Fight 4 Youth out of Currumbin, which is aimed at helping struggling youth through boxing, dancing, counselling and other programs.
As The Bulletin’s list of the city’s youngest busted drug dealers reveals, drugs and drug dealing touch all walks of life.
Ms Logan said drugs are among all types of schools on the Gold Coast but there is a trend for which youth are targeted by older drug dealers.
“Drugs are in private schools and state schools,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter if they have money, if they want to do drugs, they find a way.
“In my experience, the younger people who get targeted to do drug runs and those types of activities are generally not the ones with money.
“Also kids who find it hard to fit in or have troubles in their home life are the ones who think ‘this guy likes me’ and get sucked in.”
In Queensland all state schools are required by the Department of Education to provide health and wellbeing education as part of the curriculum, or as part of the school’s pastoral care program.
Ms Logan said education at schools is worthwhile but was concerned programs make drugs seem acceptable.
“There’s plenty of education. People know the dangers of drugs and some don’t care,” she said.
“The kids who fall into that stuff, there’s very few of them that don’t know the risks.
“Unfortunately, some of the education programs going into schools have the opinion that you’re going to try drugs so when you run into trouble here’s the number to call.
“They should be saying don’t do it, it’s stupid, this is what will happen.
“I say to kids it will mess up your life, don’t do it.”
The Department of Education provides programs for students from prep to grade 10, aimed to teach students about the impact of a range of drugs.
A spokesperson said the Department also runs further alcohol and drugs education programs for secondary schools, along with providing access to a range of school-based support staff for students and their families.
“While it is primarily the responsibility of parents and the broader community to keep young people safe from the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco and drugs, schools have a role to play,” they said.
Coast’s youngest busted drug dealers
Conviction
Jack Stuart Jones
Jones pleaded guilty on October 25 to leading the North Coast cocaine supply ring that police were investigating last year.
The 22-year-old pleaded guilty at the Tweed Heads Local Court knowingly direct activities of criminal group, along with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis.
The charges he pleaded guilty to relate to 15 drug deals between October 1 and November 18 last year, but the police investigation began much earlier.
The group first came to police attention when officers pulled over a car in April last year and found four bags containing what was believed to be cocaine, a court was told.
A police strike force was formed and several warrants were issued for surveillance of mobile phones and police conducted physical and electronic surveillance of the group.
About 34,000 phone activations were intercepted throughout the investigation that revealed to police that Jones “maintained control over the device”, paid “runners” to distribute cocaine and delegated various roles to others in the group.
Jones faced the court via video link from prison.
Jones is due to go before Lismore District Court on November 15.
Tate Robinson
Robinson was also involved in the cocaine ring and pleaded guilty for his contribution on October 25.
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to taking part in a criminal group and two counts of supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis when they faced Tweed Heads Local Court.
The couple’s Casuarina home was raided a week after the incident and Robinson was extradited from Queensland.
While awaiting their hearing the pair were granted bail on strict conditions including that they have no contact with one another.
Robinson is due to go before Lismore District Court on November 15.
Mikayla Noakes
The glamorous bartender-turned-influencer was only 20 when she was sentenced for her part in a group of seven accused of being involved in a drug syndicate.
Once having more than 12,000 Instagram followers, Mikayla Noakes’ life changed when police charged her with possession of drugs.
She was found with a small amount of cocaine on her on October 4 and November 14 last year, although on the second occasion when she was stopped police seized 0.78g of the drug.
According to court documents, she had a further 4g hidden in her bra which was not discovered at the time.
Noakes appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court in March for her part in the cross-border syndicate.
She pleaded guilty to four charges: participate criminal group contribute criminal activity, two counts of supply prohibited drug and possess prohibited drug.
Noakes was sentenced to a 12-month intensive correction order with conditions to perform 100 hours community service and fined $300.
Court matters relating to others allegedly involved in the syndicate are ongoing.
Jed Conroy
Along with Noakes, Casuarina man Jed Conroy was also caught up in the cross-border cocaine syndicate.
In May the 22-year-old appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court pleading guilty to four counts of supplying dangerous drugs, recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime, and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity.
He was sentenced to a 30-month intensive corrections order with 200 hours of community service.
Mr Conroy first came to police attention in May 2020 after they formed a strike team to investigate a local drug supply through the area.
Mr Conroy’s home was searched by police late last year as a result. He was not present, but his parents were.
The court heard police located a safe inside his bedroom, which contained 15.07g of cocaine and $5250 in cash – both of which were seized.
More than 6g of cocaine was also located in a book on a bookshelf, as well as three mobile phones in his room, and a further five in the spare bedroom.
Jackson Graeme Hindhaugh
In October 2020, and at just 19-years old, Hindhaugh faced the Southport Supreme Court.
He pleaded guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs, supplying dangerous drugs, and possessing items related to trafficking a dangerous drug.
Hindhaugh was caught with 50 ecstasy tablets and $4085 in a routine traffic stop in Pimpama on July 8, 2019.
He was sentenced to three years’ prison, which was wholly suspended.
Rebecca Paige Martin
The 21-year-old Gold Coast mum was worried she would not be able to find a flatmate because she was selling so many drugs from her home, a court was told.
Martin pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court in January last year to trafficking cannabis, permitting use of place for drug activities, two counts of possessing dangerous drugs and three counts of supplying dangerous drugs.
She was sentenced to two and a half years in prison with immediate release on parole.
Police searched Martin’s Gold Coast home on September 11, 2018, and found 507g of cannabis in her kitchen, 42 MDMA tablets and $3330 cash in her bedroom.
A court heard Martin sent a text message to a friend while looking for a flatmate and selling up to 500g of cannabis a week, worth about $3000.
“It is just going to be hella hard to get someone in because we are pushing drugs from here and not everyone would be okay with that,” she wrote.
Marko Slomovic
The man who sold $250 worth of cocaine to his friends and was found with 2g of the drug in clip seal bags, narrowly missed spending time in jail.
The 21-year-old pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court in March 2019 to supplying a dangerous drug and possessing a dangerous drug.
The court was told Slomovic was caught as part of a larger drug sting in mid-2017 arranging for the cocaine to be supplied for his friends.
He was sentenced to six months prison to be wholly suspended for 18 months.
Blair Robert Smythe
The New Zealand immigrant was convicted of trafficking drugs in August 2018.
More than 200 messages relating to drugs were found on Smythe’s phone after police stopped him in Elanora on April 11, 2017.
Smythe was 20 when he pleaded guilty in the Southport Supreme Court to one count each of trafficking, possession of cannabis and possession of utensils relating to drug supply.
He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ prison, to be released immediately on parole.
Thornton Sellick
Sellick’s marijuana empire came tumbling down when police saw him riding a bicycle along University Dr in Varsity Lakes without a helmet.
Rapid Action Patrol officers issued him a $110 ticket for the helmet, but an eagle-eyed officer noticed a large bulge in his pants.
When they searched the then 19-year-old police found a 202g packet of cannabis shoved down the front of his pants.
The package was meant for a 16-year-old schoolgirl who had made an order through Facebook.
When police searched Sellick’s family home they found stolen goods and a further 313g of marijuana.
The 20-year-old Robina man pleaded guilty to 12 charges in the Southport District Court in October 2015.
His charges included trafficking dangerous drugs and supplying drugs to a minor under 16 and was given an 18-month suspended sentence with a two-year probation period.
The court heard Sellick had made nearly $3000 in a month by selling marijuana to schoolchildren.
The court heard Sellick would organise drug deals on his Facebook account which police accessed through his phone.
No Conviction
LIAM WILLIAM TAYLOR
Taylor was 23 when he pleaded guilty in Southport District Court in April last year to supplying drugs to a minor and possession of dangerous drugs.
He was sentenced to 15 months probation for trying to sell marijuana to a 17-year-old.
No conviction was recorded.
The court was told Taylor started using drugs in school because he thought it was “cool”.
He was contacted by a 17-year-old via Facebook to ask for $400 worth – or 27g – of marijuana but the teen pulled a knife when it was time to hand over the cash, a court heard.
Gregory John Sheehy
The elite private school graduate was busted selling cannabis to mates on a gap year before attending university.
Gregory John Sheehy was 19 when he was made to do 200 hours of community service after being sentenced in the Southport Magistrates Court in August 2014.
He pleaded guilty in court to possessing and supplying drugs and possessing drug-related items.
No conviction was recorded.
The Southport School graduate had stopped for a random breath test on Hedges Ave in December 2013 when police asked to search a sports bag on the front seat of his Commodore.
Inside they found 88g of cannabis in separate clip seal bags, scales and mobile phone with text messages discussing apparent drug transactions.
Sheehy was taken to the Southport watch-house where a body search revealed $1000 stashed in his groin region.
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