Steve Ayad charged with cocaine supply in Sydney Covid lockdown

Police believe a confessed drug dealer busted with cocaine worth $20,000 exchanged bags of coke for covert access to a gym with his friends during Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown.

A confessed drug dealer is believed to have exchanged bags of cocaine for covert gym access when Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown saw all facilities closed, a court has heard.

Police swooped on Steve Ayad, 33, in the middle of Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown in July 21 after they caught him supplying cocaine through extensive surveillance over several weeks.

Ayad was charged with two counts of prohibited drug supply, one count of possessing prescribed restricted substances and two counts of possessing prohibited drugs after police intercepted more than 25,000 phone calls and text messages – many pertaining to drug supply.

For five weeks in June and July 2021, agreed police facts tendered to Sutherland Local Court reveal police surveillance captured Ayad making 21 cocaine deals which netted him $10,650.

Video surveillance caught customers arriving at Ayad’s Peakhurst address, while intercepted phone calls revealed the deals taking place – with one half-gram bag costing $250 to $300.

On one occasion, police arrested a man with two bags of cocaine in his car console minutes after intercepting a phone call confirming a deal was to take place, then capturing the purchase at Ayad’s home on video.

When police raided Ayad’s address after his arrest, they ultimately uncovered 45.69g of cocaine with an estimated street value of $23,000.

Steve Ayad, 33, at Sutherland Local Court.

“It is also worthy to note this behaviour continued through a Covid-19 public health order lockdown where residents of NSW were not allowed to have visitors at their houses,” the facts state.

In their statement of facts police said they believed a St George gym owner – who the St George Shire Standard has chosen not to identify – had accepted bags of coke from Ayad and his friends in exchange for secret access to his gym when Sydney was in lockdown.

All gyms were mandatorily closed under the relevant public health orders at the time.

“On July 7 2021 the accused contacted (a male associate) in relation to gaining access to a gym to use during the Covid-19 public health order lockdown which has closed all gyms,” he facts state.

“The male associate said ‘is he going to let the boys in or nup’ and the accused said ‘yeah but he wants a bag off each bloke’.

“Police allege the accused arranged for people to supply cocaine to (the gym owner) in exchange for access to his gym during the Covid lockdown.”

Steve Ayad, 33, at Sutherland Local Court.

Ayad was not charged with any public health order breaches in relation to his conduct.

Officers finally arrested Ayad in a car park behind his wife’s Caringbah hair salon, where he began to repeatedly say to police and his wife “I f**ked up”.

Ayad pleaded guilty to all the charges, with the drug possession counts taken under consideration in sentencing for the two supply charges.

Police had also found 1.63g of diazepam, 46.2g of testosterone and 9.5g of anabolic steroid nandrolone decanoate at Ayad’s home, along with an assortment of clear resealable plastic bags, digital scales, spoons and bank cards caked in white powder.

Despite having a previous conviction and eight-month suspended jail term for prohibited drug supply in 2009, Ayad was spared full time custody by Magistrate Melissa Humphreys at Sutherland Local Court on February 15.

He was instead sentenced to a 21-month intensive corrections order with supervision, 150 hours of community service and a $3300 fine.

Ayad was also required to continue engaging with psychological treatment and drug rehabilitation.