Glenworth Valley: Thomas Olsson and Alexander Priest face court over Lost Paradise drug possession
An aspiring professional volleyball player and a teenager were among several young people to face court after being charged with trying to smuggle drugs into the Lost Paradise music festival.
Central Coast
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One was an aspiring volleyball player who turned to “other things” when his dreams of turning professional collapsed while the other was left “holding the bag” when police searched the car he was in.
And both men risked their otherwise unblemished records when they pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle drugs into the Lost Paradise music festival at Glenworth Valley.
Alexander Priest, of Shoalhaven on the NSW south coast and Thomas Olsson, of the Brisbane suburb of Wooloowin, appeared separately at Gosford Local Court on Thursday charged with two counts each of possessing a prohibited drug.
The two men were among a dozen of young people issued with court attendance notices trying to smuggle drugs into the four-day music festival at Glenworth Valley over New Year’s Eve.
Olsson’s solicitor John Kalantar told the court the 22-year-old prestigious St Joseph’s Nudgee College graduate turned to “other things” when his dreams of becoming a professional volleyball player collapsed.
Mr Kalantar said Olsson was an apprentice carpenter who “did not understand the consequences” of being caught with drugs.
An agreed set of facts states Olsson was in his black utility with QLD plates when he was stopped at the checkpoint on the way into the festival about 12.45pm on Wednesday, December 28.
The facts state drug detection dog “Gilly” indicated the presence of drugs and police searched Olsson’s ute and found 3.75g of Dextroamphetamine tablets and 4.14g of MDMA capsules.
He told police he obtained the MDMA capsules from the “dark web” and were mailed to his address while the tablets — commonly known as “dexies” — were obtained from a friend who was prescribed the medication for ADHD.
The Magistrate found the two possession charges proven but placed him on a community corrections order for 12 months without recording a conviction.
Priest’s solicitor Marc Riviere meanwhile told the court the 18-year-old would have just been issued a warning for possessing cannabis but “his problem was the LSD”.
An agreed set of facts in his matter states Priest was in a car stopped by security about 10.30am on Wednesday, December 28, when drug detection dog “Leela” indicated the presence of drugs in the back seat.
Police searched a bag belonging to Priest and found a small amount of cannabis in the bag and a small clear resealable plastic bag in his wallet containing 10 tabs of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
Mr Riviere said Priest was refused entry to the festival and had to catch an Uber to Gosford station, a train to Berry and further transport home.
Mr Riviere said this was on top of the $500 Priest spent on tickets to get into Lost Paradise.
The magistrate again found the offences proven but placed him on a community corrections order for 12 months without conviction.
Their appearances come after 28-year-old Antoine Gerard Gouwy, of Arncliffe in Sydney’s south, faced Gosford Local Court last week where he pleaded not guilty to possessing cannabis and supplying MDMA at the festival.
Charge sheets tendered to court allege Mr Gouwy was allegedly in possession of 14.97g of cannabis and 73 ecstasy capsules, which police will allege in court was for the supply of the drugs to other festival goers.
He returns to court on March 2 to set a sentencing date.
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