Zach-Matthew Sam Steadman, Dennis Michael Barrett sentenced for drug trafficking

A pair of Sunshine Coast dads have learnt their fate in court after they were busted operating a wholesale drug trafficking syndicate.

Zach-Matthew Sam Steadman. Picture: Facebook

A pair of suburban drug traffickers have learnt their fate in a Sunshine Coast court after pleading guilty to operating a wholesale cannabis syndicate in 2021.

Zach-Matthew Sam Steadman, 26, and Dennis Michael Barrett, 54, were supported by family members in the public gallery as they sat side-by-side in the dock in the Maroochydore District Court on Monday, January 29.

The men previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in a Buderim drug trafficking syndicate on November 10, 2023.

Barrett, a father of three, was convicted of three charges including drug trafficking, possessing an item used in a crime and receiving property obtained from trafficking.

Steadman’s charges included trafficking, supplying and possessing dangerous drugs.

Dennis Michael Barrett leaves the Maroochydore courthouse.

Crown prosecutor Genevieve Feely told the court while Steadman, a dad of two, and Barrett’s charges related to the commercial supply of wholesale cannabis neither made a substantial profit.

“Steadman was the offender most consistently involved over the trafficking period,” Ms Feely said.

“This is assumed because Barrett was intercepted on September 15, 2021 where he was found with roughly 4.5kg of cannabis and after that his engagement drops off until very late November and early December.”

Ms Feely told the court the third man involved in the wholesale trafficking was sentenced in late 2023.

Defence barrister for Steadman, Russell Pearce, told the court Steadman’s claims of a transaction involving $170,000 were untrue and “mere puffery”.

“There may have been dreams of becoming very wealthy men out of this but it was very much an amateurish operation in terms of the reward,” Mr Pearce said.

Zach-Matthew Sam Steadman. Picture: Facebook

Barrister for Barrett, Kate Juhasz, told the court the 54-year-old did not actively traffick the wholesale cannabis for the entire 11-month period.

“This is clearly wholesale trafficking and with respect to Mr Barrett he was intercepted in that September period and then recommenced trafficking in late November and into December,” Ms Juhasz said.

“Although we are looking at a period of 11 months, really the extent of Mr Barrett’s trafficking expands around six months.”

Maroochydore District Court Judge Nicholas Andreatidis told the court it was accepted both men had taken significant steps to remove themselves from the criminal “subculture”.

Both Steadman and Barrett were given head sentences of three and a half years, each suspended immediately.