Eddie Atash: Ford Mustang-driving barber caught selling cocaine mostly made of Panadol
A former Iranian soldier turned barber has been busted in an undercover police sting flogging off ‘fake drugs’ on Sydney’s northern beaches.
A former Iranian soldier turned barber has been snipped in an undercover police sting on Sydney’s northern beaches selling bags of cocaine for more than $1600 - that he had massively “cut” with Panadol and Panadeine.
Eddie Atash was retailing the illicit drug to locals at an average price of $1600, but the powder was mostly made up of paracetamol, Manly Local Court heard on Thursday.
Atash, 43, of Dee Why, even told police that one of the bags was solely Panadeine Forte.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss remarked during a sentencing hearing, that the deal “appeared to be a fake transaction”.
“He sold it as drugs,” Mr Reiss said.
The Ford Mustang-driving hairdresser was selling the cocaine to his drug customers at Freshwater, over a period of 22 days, from March 27 this year, to help fund his own massive use of the drug, the court was told.
Police set had up Strike Force Deputy in January to investigate Atash’s “drug supply activities”, according to a facts sheet tendered to court.
On March 27, he was recorded driving his Mustang into Moore Rd, Freshwater, and selling a “witness” 4.43g of powder for $1700.
Then on April 3, he sold a bag in Gore St for $1600. Atash then went on to sell a bag of powder to a witness in Koollara Ave, on April 11, for $1650.
He was arrested on April 17 after selling another bag in Koollara Ave.
When police pulled his Mustang over, they found $1650 in the car.
Atash told the police: “It’s not drugs, it’s Panadeine Forte. I gave him Panadeine”.
One of the bags contained only 10 per cent cocaine, the court was told. Other bags were only 12.5 per cent and 17.5 per cent pure.
When police raided his flat, they found boxes of Panadol as well as two small bags of cocaine.
Atash pleaded guilty to one count each of supply prohibited drug on an ongoing basis, possess prohibited drug and drive while cocaine present in his blood.
The court heard that Atash, who was born in Iran and had served in its army before arriving in Australia in 2012, was snorting between two to 10 small bags of the powder each day.
Mr Reiss told Atash that he found that his level of drug use “surprising”.
The Magistrate also remarked, after hearing that police had pulled Atash over while he was behind the wheel of the Mustang sports car, that “business must be good”.
His solicitor said her client had a “difficult background” and childhood in Iran.
Magistrate Reiss convicted Atash and handed him a two-year suspended sentence, to be served as a supervised Intensive Correction Order.
He was also fined $5000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
