Barber Giovanni Genuario, 28, sentenced on 10 counts of supplying cocaine and two counts of possession

A coke-dealing co-accused of an Insta-famous Brisbane barber has walked out of court a relatively free man only to be bundled up and taken away by immigration officials waiting outside.

Giovanni Genuario is taken away by Australian Boarder Force officers.

A coke-dealing co-accused of Insta-famous Brisbane barber Michael Langanis has walked out of court a relatively free man only to be bundled up and taken away by immigration officials waiting outside.

Barber Giovanni Genuario, 28, was handed an 18 month wholly suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to 10 counts of supplying cocaine and two counts of possession.

But as the Italian national left the court building with his girlfriend, Australian Border Force swooped on Genuario who has been openly living as an illegal alien in Australia since his visa expired in November 2021.

Genuario was initially charged along with Michael Anthony Langanis as part of Operation Sierra Gypsy in December 2020.

Giovanni Genuario leaves the Brisbane Supreme Court, only to be met by officers from the Australian Boarder Force.

Langanis, the owner of Langanis Barber, was sentenced to 12 months’ probation with no conviction recorded last year for one count of supplying cocaine to an undercover officer and other summary drug offences.

Genuario, who worked as a barber at an unrelated salon, also supplied cocaine to an undercover cop.

Crown prosecutor Emma Hislop told Brisbane’s District Court that Genuario supplied cocaine to the officer five times and was involved in preparing the supply of coke on another five occasions from August to December 2020.

In that time he supplied 4.87 grams of pure cocaine for which he received $4,400. He also arranged for 4.92 grams of pure cocaine to be supplied to an undercover cop for $5000 and offered to supply half an ounce but that didn’t go ahead, the court heard.

Genuario was initially charged with trafficking but this was later dropped.

His barrister Angus Edwards said he had been drug free since his arrest and had not attempted to leave Australia but instead stayed here to face the charges.

Giovanni Genuario embraces his partner, as he is confronted by Australian Boarder Force officers as he leaves court.

“The fact that he hasn’t tried to leave or tried to rely upon the immigration department deporting him so he could escape the results of these charges suggests that he is a man who has taken personal responsibility for his offending,” he said.

Mr Edwards said his client hoped to remain in Australia and had spent $10,000 trying to get a new visa.

Judge Vicki Loury said Genuario, who had no criminal history, had been using cocaine and fell in with the wrong crowd.

He spent six months in pre-sentence custody before being released on bail.

“Your visa was cancelled but for unknown reasons you have simply been allowed to remain in Australia without any sort of visa,” she said.

“You are now in a state of limbo because you don’t know what is to happen.”

Genuario’s fate became apparent when he left the court building and was taken into custody by Australian Border Force.