Sirens: Terrigal nightclub owner Ross Glynatsis pleads guilty to drugs, weapons offences
The owner of the Central Coast nightclub Sirens has pleaded guilty to drug and firearm offences but maintains he only had the weapons for “protection” from a bikie he helped put behind bars, a court has heard.
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When a Bandidos bikie repeatedly tried to extort Ross Glynatsis out of money, the Sirens nightclub owner went to police — who with his help — put the outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) member behind bars.
But when he feared the bikie was about to be released and was coming after him, the 63-year-old Terrigal businessman took matters into his own hands and armed himself, a court has heard.
Glynatsis appeared briefly at Gosford Local Court on Friday where his solicitor pleaded guilty to eight drug and weapons offences with a further four charges withdrawn and dismissed.
An agreed set of police facts, tendered in court, states Glynatsis had no pervious criminal history but had become the victim of an extortion attempt by a Bandidos member in 2018.
“The offence involved serious, multiple, ongoing demands and threats over a period of a little more than a month,” the facts read.
“It included threats to involve members of the Bandidos and on at least one occasion other members of the Bandidos were present as part of the demands.”
Glynatsis reported it to police, who established Strike Force Anomy, and with his assistance the investigation resulted in an arrest.
On July 15, 2019, following a plea of guilty, the bikie was sentenced in Gosford District Court to 22 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 14 months.
With time served since his arrest his non-parole period was to expire on July 8, 2019.
The agreed facts state in August 2019 Glynatsis started receiving threats, which he understood to be related to him having reported the bikie’s extortion to police.
In October police applied and were granted a warrant to search Glynatsis’ three bedroom unit at Erina.
At 9.35am on October 17, 2019, Strike Force Raptor officers attended his unit and when they could not rouse him they forced their way inside.
Glynatsis told police he had a firearm and was arrested.
“He then directed police to his bedside draw where they located an Ema-Werke EP652.22 calibre pistol with a magazine fitted containing six rounds,” the facts read.
“The offender said the pistol was dropped at his front door by an unknown person for his protection as he had been threatened by members of the Bandidos OMCG. He further stated that `a couple [of people] have said he was going to get an early release’ and it was around this time he received the firearm.”
He directed police to a paper bag in his bedroom containing a box of 0.22 calibre Winchester hollow point rounds, a clear freezer bag containing .22 calibre rounds and a number of loose .22 rounds.
Police then searched the whole property and found a box of Scorpio 12 gauge shot gun rounds in his bedroom closet.
“The offender then directed police to a jar in the kitchen cupboard which was later confirmed to contain 4.9g of cannabis leaf. Police also located 1g of cannabis leaf loose in a bowl on the kitchen bench.”
In the same cupboard police found a jar of cocaine later confirmed to weigh 24.2g.
A set of digital scales was also located in the same kitchen cupboard.
In another kitchen cupboard police found a resealable bag containing 2.23g of cocaine.
He also told them about cocaine bagged in individual bags in the laundry cupboard where police found 14 small resealable bags with the total quantity of cocaine being 33.93g.
Glynatsis told police it was for his own personal use and a later search of his phone found no messages or other communications related to the supply of cocaine.
“It is understood the accused’s supply is limited to friends and not for a commercial purpose,” the facts read.
He also had 1.05g of cocaine in his wallet.
In his garage police found an extendible baton on a shelf and in his car officers located a torch/taser and flick knife.
Glynatsis told police he bought the taser in Thailand a long time ago and he put it in the car “for protection from those idiots”.
He said he also got the knife from Thailand but had lost it.
Glynatsis was taken back to Gosford police station where he declined to be interviewed before being charged with possessing a firearm, ammunition and prohibited weapons without a permit and possessing prohibited drugs.
Magistrate Alan Railton ordered a pre-sentence report before adjourning the matter to August 14.