Ex-high-level athlete turned dial-a-dealer coke trafficker walks free

A former ‘high-level athlete’ has walked free from court after receiving a suspended sentence for trafficking cocaine, including offering home deliveries and selling to customers in the carpark of a Brisbane McDonald’s.

A former “high level athlete” has walked free from court, elated after she was sentenced to a suspended sentence for trafficking in cocaine, including home deliveries and selling to customers in a McDonalds carpark north of Brisbane.

Tala Yasmin Zanotti, 27, who now owns a lawn-maintenance business, was in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Monday where Justice Thomas Bradley sentenced her to four years’ prison, wholly suspended for five years, for trafficking in cocaine between February 4, 2020, and July 19, 2020.

Zanotti also pleaded guilty to other drug charges including possession of cocaine and possession of MDMA which were considered aspects of her trafficking, so she was convicted but not further punished.

In sentencing, Justice Bradley said Zanotti was busted by police when they seized 7.45g of cocaine in four clipseal bags found in Zanotti’s car, and $1960 cash, when they searched it in the carpark of McDonalds in Chermside close to midnight on May 31, 2020.

During a search of her home three weeks later, police found and seized her mobile phone which contained evidence of her trafficking over five months.

She had at least 23 customers, and supplied drugs on 34 occasions, offering home deliveries for a $50 fee.

Convicted drug trafficker Yala Yasmin Zanoti (right) walks free from court on a suspended sentence. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

On a further seven occasions she prepared to supply drugs, and one further occasion she offered to supply drugs, the court heard.

She supplied pure cocaine for $400 per gram, and cut cocaine for $350 gram, selling via an encrypted messaging application.

She sourced the drug from at least one regular supplier, selling up to seven grams in a single transaction on day before the search warrant was executed on July 19.

Police also found $7350 worth of cocaine, weighing 20.936g of cocaine in eight clipseal bags during the raid of her home, and $1020 worth of MDMA weighing 5.147g.

They also found a small amount of the drug GBL, methylamphetamine, diazepam and ketamine and $900 in cash at the home.

Tala Zanotti received a suspended sentence for trafficking.

Zanotti kept tick sheets, recording the amounts customers owed to her for buying drugs on credit, and provided drug utensils to customers, the court heard.

Crown Prosecutor Stipe Drinovac told the court that Zanotti was aged between 24 and 25 when she trafficked cocaine, and advertised to her customers when cocaine was available.

Defence barrister Gavin Webber told the court Zanotti was a former high-level athlete whose career was ended by injury and she became involved in trafficking drugs during a period of turmoil in her life.

He said her mother had abandoned her at the age of 13 and she had spent a period of time homeless as a teen, and she “appeared to have” a diagnosis of ADHD, which was unconfirmed.

Zanotti wrote a letter to the court saying she had cut ties with her friends in the drug world and had now rehabilitated from drug abuse.