Socialite’s cocaine arrest case spreads to the US

The investigation into the alleged drug supply of cocaine by Sydney socialite Matthew Doyle has reached across the world with NSW and Federal Police giving information about aspects of the operation to the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

An apartment in the luxury building Tara Maree on 6 Gerrale Street in Cronulla.

• Elite Sydney party scene on edge after 300kg cocaine bust
• Wife of alleged cocaine dealer takes $350k hit on luxury unit

The investigation into the alleged drug supply of cocaine by Sydney socialite Matthew Doyle has reached across the world with NSW and Federal Police giving information about aspects of the operation to the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

Most of the details around the arrests by the NSW Organised Crime Squad have been suppressed with investigations still ongoing.

The operation resulting in Doyle, 30, and his co-accused Jared Hart, 30 and Raul Kesby, 28, being charged with supplying 300kg of cocaine became a major joint investigation led by the NSW organised Crime Squad with Federal Police, the Australian Crime Intelligence Commission, Australian Border Force and NSW Crime Commission all contributing.

Matthew Doyle was arrested last week as part of an $80 million international drug sting.

The Daily Telegraph today revealed the strike force that led to the arrest of Doyle is the same taskforce that uncovered the alleged drug importation syndicate involving one of Australia’s leading racehorse owners, Damion Flower.

The arrests of both men four months apart has sent shockwaves through Sydney’s elite as they mixed with some of the city’s richest and most influential people.

The exact nature of any link has not been revealed.

From their high-flying glamorous lives, the men are now behind bars bail refused, both for allegedly being involved in Sydney’s out-of-control cocaine trade.

Flower, 47, was arrested at his Horton park home in May and charged with helping smuggle cocaine through Sydney Airport with the help of a corrupt baggage handler.

He is accused of importing more than 55kg of the drug in black duffel bags from South Africa between January 22 and May 22 this year.

Doyle, 30, was last week refused bail charged with supplying 300kg of cocaine worth $85 million in Sydney between April 23 and September 4.

Damion Flower was arrested at his Horton park home in May. Picture: AAP

Meanwhile, the company behind the luxury Cronulla apartment block built by Mr Doyle has gone bust owing over $1.67 million amid claims of mismanagement.

One of Doyle’s co-accused, former elite Scots College student Raoul Kesby, 28, is a young relative of one of Doyle’s business partners, Sebastian Kesby.

The third co-accused, Jared Hart, 30, is a former Newington College student.

High-flying entrepreneur Doyle, 30, was a director of Cronulla 88, the company that developed the landmark Cronulla block Tara Maree in Gerrale Street which was completed late last year.

Former Newington College student Jared Hart is accused of involvement in the drug syndicate. Picture: Facebook

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Fellow directors were Sebastian Kesby, 30, and Matthew Zappia, 32. Doyle was once feted on David Koch’s website Kochie’s Business Builders when he founded Uber-massage company ZenNow but he is now behind bars after being refused bail on serious drugs charges as his property empire crumbles.

In March this year, Company 88 — named like many of his companies after his year of birth — went into voluntary liquidation, two months after Doyle, Zappia and Sebastian Kesby resigned as directors. One director, Jon Robert Elliot remained.

Matthew Zappia resigned from Company 88 in 2019. There is no suggestion that Mr Zappia has any involvement in the alleged drug syndicate.

Sebastian Kesby also resigned from Company 88 in 2019. There is no suggestion that Mr Kesby has any involvement in the alleged drug syndicate.

Liquidator Christopher Darin stated on company documents that the enterprise had allegedly been trading while insolvent, made uncommercial transactions, had inadequate working capital and continuing trading losses.

RELATED PARTIES

The 12-apartment block was fully sold before its completion with sales grossing $21.6 million but the liquidator is now investigating why three of the apartments were sold to related parties including Doyle’s wife, socialite Kelsea Doyle, and a company owned by Sebastian Kesby and Matthew Zappia.

Mr Darin, of Worrells, states in company documents that he is looking into whether the sales were done on a “commercial basis”.

There is no suggestion that Sebastian Kesby, Matthew Zappia, Jon Elliott or Kelsea Doyle have any involvement in the alleged drug syndicate.

Mrs Doyle, as Kelsea-Amber Nagel, was PR to some of Sydney’s star designers including Ksubi and Josh Goot.

She and her husband were well-known in the shire’s social scene and were also frequently spotted at Bondi’s Icebergs rubbing shoulders with Sydney’s elite.

Mrs Doyle paid $2,250,000 for her ocean-view apartment off the plan in April 2017 and sold it last month for $1.9 million after putting it up for rent.

A company owned by Sebastian Kesby and Matthew Zappia, Gerrale 201 Pty Ltd, still owns an apartment bought for $1.8 million.

Mrs Doyle’s apartment at Gerrale Street, Cronulla.

UNPAID DEBTS

Cronulla 88 owes $1,657,300 to three unsecured creditors including an accounting firm and commercial lenders.

A third company, Cemco Projects, is owed $875,325 and as the debt trickles down to other traders, Cemco is being pursued in the Supreme Court by a company that provided blinds for the Cronulla apartments and which has not been paid.

Mr Darin’s company report states Cronulla 88 has no assets and has not provided him with management accounts, up to date financial statements and other source documents.

Kelsea Doyle with husband Matthew Doyle.

Sebastian Kesby and Matthew Zappia also had shares in Doyle’s ZenNow through family companies. The two developers run MultiPart Property with a portfolio of property and projects with almost $290 million according to their website. They did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.

Another property they are developing with Doyle is an industrial site in Montague Street, Wollongong, bought for $3.2 million in 2017. Doyle is also working on a townhouse development in Dudley Ave, Caringbah South, on land he bought through another company for $2.2 million with NAB financing.

DRUG CHARGES

Doyle, Raoul Kesby and Jared Hart are all in jail, bail refused, after being charged last week by the NSW Organised Crime squad.

Doyle is charged with allegedly supplying 300kg of cocaine between April 23 and September 4. Police also allege he dealt with $220,000 in criminally obtained cash between July 26 and 31 at Hammondville and then another $300,000 on September 4 at Cronulla.

Hart is charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime in relation to $219,500 at Hammondville on July 26 and supplying 50kg of cocaine on September 4.

Raoul Kesby is charged with supplying a commercial quantity of illegal drugs.