NSW cocaine hot spots revealed in BOCSAR data
There has been a cocaine “explosion” in the past decade, with an expert declaring the drug is no longer restricted to the rich. Search the hotspots for cocaine use across NSW.
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A former award-winning detective and leading academic says cocaine is no longer a “rich person’s drug” reserved for Sydney’s posh postcodes as major drug busts in the last 12 months revealed a string of cocaine dealers across the state.
The latest data from BOCSAR showed the City of Sydney local government area held the top spot for dealing cocaine, clocking in 359 incidents between April 2022 and March 2023.
In second and third place respectively were Waverley with 94 dealing incidents – up a whopping 62.1per cent in a two-year breakdown and Central Coast with 81.
For possession and use of cocaine, City of Sydney and Waverley retained the top two spots, recording a combined 972 incidents between April 2022 and March 2023.
The northern beaches recorded the highest increase in possession, recording a 169.2 per cent increase over a two-year period after 70 incidents were recorded by police between April 2022 and March 2023, compared to 26 in April 2021 to March 2022.
Macquarie University security studies and criminology lecturer Vincent Hurley, who served 29 years in the NSW police force, said the last 10 years had seen an “explosion” of cocaine in
Australia due to an increase of production in South American countries.
Before Covid, Mr Hurley said drug cartels offered coffee farmers a deal to grow the coca plant after the price of coffee crashed as the workers were struggling to make a living.
“The farmers agreed, the cartels moved in and protected the farmers who grew their supply which led to an increased global supply of cocaine where production has doubled,” he said.
Mr Hurley said Sydney had such a high consumption of cocaine because Australia is a “really attractive marketplace for the drug”.
“We’re happy to pay the price for cocaine and we’re in a unique position for cocaine trafficking because the cartels do not have any competing markets because we’re an island and not landlocked where it’s much easier to traffic cocaine across borders,” he said.
The price of cocaine in Australia currently ranges between $260 for a gram of cocaine with a 40 per cent purity and $500 for a gram with a purity level of 80 and above.
Mr Hurley said Australians were willing to pay even $300,000 for a kilo of the illicit substance as the cartels hike up the price “because it’s more difficult to get to us but our borders are very porous through ports and shipments”.
“Australia has an unsatisfiable appetite for cocaine and one in 10 people over the age of 16 have consumed cocaine at some point in their life,” he said.
“Cocaine was restricted to the northern beaches, it was socio geographic when it was hard to come by but now there’s so much of it, anyone with any social standing can get it, it’s prolific.”
BOCSAR, which provided the figures, noted areas with small populations can be significantly affected by a modest number of incidents and therefore record a misleadingly high crime rate.
It also cautioned that regions with high visitor numbers, such as Sydney, should be viewed in context.
Here are some of the cases that came before Sydney’s courts:
Grace Athanatos
A model and OnlyFans creator who was caught sneaking cocaine into a Sydney Festival in her vagina said she was in her “Paris Hilton era” following media coverage surrounding her crime.
Grace Athanatos – who goes by Grace Evelyn online – was charged with prohibited drug supply after she secreted 5.6g of cocaine into a MaRLo gig in Sydney Olympic Park on May 14.
Agreed police facts state Athanatos brought the drugs into the festival for her and some friends via a knotted condom in her vagina.
She pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order at Burwood Local Court on July 25.
Joch McLean
The son of a former Origin player was convicted of commercial drug supply following the discovery of a haul of cocaine — totalling almost 1kg — in his northern beaches unit.
Joch McLean, 28, fronted Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court alongside about 20 supporters in March to learn his fate he was sprung by police after they responded to reports of a domestic incident at his Manly unit.
They instead discovered the stash of cocaine hidden in a set of tupperwares, a yellow bowl, alongside a set of kitchen scales and hair dryer.
Judge Scotting convicted McLean but adjourned the sentencing until February 2024 so the court could have further evidence of the young man’s ongoing rehabilitation.
Thomas James Elmes
Upper Hunter identity Thomas James Elmes bragged to a fellow cocaine dealer and other “associates” that they were “at the height of our success” during a series of phone exchanges uncovered by police.
In those exchanges Elmes gloated about a night he had spent with two prostitutes where it had “only cost me about two grand in coke and $800 in room service”.
But his boast of using cocaine to pay for sex, as well as using it as payment for business expenses, prompted magistrate Kevin Hockey to determine that Elmes had made some sort of commercial gain from the drug.
He was sentenced on September 27 to 18 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of taking part in the supply of cocaine (greater than an indictable quantity), but escaped full-time custody after Mr Hockey decided the 30-year-old could serve the term as an intensive correction order within the community.
He was also ordered to perform 150 hours of community service.
Patrick Manansala
A runner for a drug supply syndicate operating out of a Marrickville car servicing company has admitted to supplying 24 bags of cocaine across an eight day period.
Patrick Manansala, 32, of Bexley appeared at Sutherland Local Court where he pleaded guilty to drug supply.
Agreed facts tendered to court state he was a “low-level runner”, completing street level deliveries for a drug syndicate where used a “run phone” which was being monitored by police.
He was convicted of drug supply and sentenced to a two-year community correction order, which took into account a plea of guilty to participate criminal group contribute criminal activity
John Allen
Former Upper Hunter publican John “Jack” Allen was spared full-time jail after being convicted of supplying cocaine to undercover police in his pub and twice kicking a woman on the street outside the establishment.
Magistrate Kevin Hockey told Muswellbrook Local Court that he was “on the brink” of sending the former licensee of Scone’s Thoroughbred Hotel to jail for two main offences of supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Police facts tendered in court said a “witness” had spoken to Allen as he worked behind the bar of the pub on December 4 before asking about getting a “bag” of cocaine.
Allen organised the witness to return to the pub the following morning, where he grabbed a disposable coffee cup and returned with a bag of cocaine inside before being paid $300.
Allen was placed on a two-year intensive correction order and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.
Rita Hanna
Rita Hanna of Merrylands appeared in Waverley Local Court after pleading guilty to supply prohibited drug and deal with proceeds of crime.
Agreed facts tendered to court reveal on November 19 Hanna was spotted by police picking up a man near Bondi Bowling Club where police found a bag of cocaine in his possession.
Officers later stopped Hanna on Blair St where she said she did not have any illegal drugs in her possession.
Further searches of the mother’s vehicle saw police find a total of 37 bags of cocaine, weighing 23.4 grams.
She was convicted and placed on a two-year community correction order (CCO) for drug supply and fined $750.
For dealing with proceeds of crime, Hanna was placed on a 12 month CCO.
Matthew Younan
A university student’s plans to travel the world for work were put at risk after being implicated in his brother’s dial-a-dealer scheme.
Matthew Younan, 23, of Merrylands, pleaded guilty at Newtown Local Court to taking part in the supply of 0.28g of cocaine to an unknown woman at Marrickville on October 15.
The woman was later busted by police with 0.28g of cocaine, which she told officers she’d purchased for $300.
Ronny Younan was convicted of drug supply and dealing with criminal proceeds earlier this year, and was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order, as well as being fined$1100.
Harris Bounatsos
A carpenter from Sydney’s south who was busted in an affluent beach suburb with eight bags of cocaine and wads of $50 cash hidden in his undies has learnt his fate.
Harris Bounatsos, 26, of Brighton Le Sands, was sentenced for deemed drug supply and dealing with property proceeds of crime under $100,000 at Waverley Local Court on July 5.
Magistrate Julie Huber convicted Bounatsos of deemed drug supply and sentenced him to an 18-month community correction order under conditions he is supervised by a community corrections officer while completing 50 hours community service work.
Aaron Pinto
A western Sydney PR account executive made thousands in a single night flogging cocaine across the eastern suburbs after accepting an offer to supply drugs over Snapchat.
Aaron Pinto, 24, pleaded guilty to prohibited drug supply and dealing with property crime proceeds after police found him with 6.7g of cocaine and $2150 cash in Surry Hills on October 15.
Officers pulled Pinto over and he admitted there was a “considerable amount of cash in the car as well as drugs in the centre console” of his vehicle.
Magistrate Garry Still convicted Pinto and sentenced him to a 12-month conditional release order to be of good behaviour on November 25.
Faridh Zangourzadeh
A southwest Sydney teen was enlisted as a cocaine dial-a-dealer allegedly by a 17-year-old boy, who became so agitated with her delivery times he hopped in her car to show her how to deal faster.
Faridh Zangourzadeh, 19, faced Downing Centre Local Court after pleading guilty to three separate charges of prohibited drug supply.
Agreed police facts state the St Johns Park teen and a female associate were enlisted on July 30 to deliver 12 bags of cocaine to multiple eastern suburbs addresses by a young person who cannot be legally identified.
Taking into account an additional offence of participating in a criminal group, Magistrate Price convicted Zangourzadeh and sentenced her to a 12-month intensive correction order with supervision.
Ashley Nichols-Hancock
An unemployed Sydney woman made hundreds of dollars in a single night by pushing cocaine as a dial-a-dealer in the Hills Shire and inner suburbs.
Ashley Nichols-Hancock, 22, pleaded guilty to two drug supply charges and one of dealing with property crime proceeds at Downing Centre Local Court on March 8.
Police then pulled the vehicle over, and found Nichols-Hancock in the front passenger seat and another man driving the car.
A red and brown Guess handbag in the footwell where Nichols-Hancock was sitting was found to contain nine clear resealable bags containing cocaine, one clear resealable bag containing a crystal substance and $1900 cash.
Nichols- Hancock was convicted of all three offences.
For supplying 4.11g of cocaine and dealing with the $1900, Nichols-Hancock was sentenced to an 18-month supervised community corrections order.
For supplying 0.08g of cocaine she was fined $550.
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