Flemington markets truckie Stefan Barta pleads guilty to drug supply

A Sydney fruit markets truckie has pleaded guilty to using his workplace as a front to supply massive amounts of drugs.

A truckie employed at Sydney’s Flemington fruit markets is facing a possible long jail sentence after pleading guilty to using his workplace as a front to supply drugs.

Agreed facts state Stefan Barta, a driver at Stuart Dickson Produce, was heavily involved in a crime syndicate when police tapped his phone in 2020 and monitored him supplying at least 1.4kg of heroin, 418g of ice and 285g of cocaine.

Barta, 57, of Greenacre, used his workplace at the Flemington markets to supply some of those drugs along with other locations including rooms at the Palms Hotel in Chullora and western Sydney car parks, according to the document.

Stefan Barta’s phone was tapped by police in 2020.

Police arrested the truck driver in 2021. Picture: NSW Police

Police alleged the syndicate had supplied drugs worth about $500,000 before Barta was arrested and taken into custody in February 2021.

Officers did not accuse anyone else employed at Stuart Dickson Produce of any wrongdoing.

Barta’s former Flemington markets colleagues told The Daily Telegraph his arrest on commercial drug supply charges was a shock.

“Completely … we just knew him as a truck driver, none of us have heard from him since,” one worker who did not want to be named said.

Police searched the Flemington markets and found four lockers stacked on top of each other, some of which they were forced to use bolt cutters to pry open.

Police searched a warehouse at Flemington as part of their investigation. Picture: NSW Police

Material allegedly seized during the search. Picture: NSW Police

Inside the lockers, police found a pen gun concealed in a purple and white cloth, 20 rounds of ammunition in a sandwich bag, about 127g of heroin and about 30g of ice.

Barta was charged over those items.

On one occasion Barta sent six grams of cocaine by post to South Australia, but the consignment was intercepted by authorities.

After the delay Barta texted its intended recipient and wrote: “Walk away brother – don’t go there no more”.

Another time, at the Palms Hotel, Barta gave heroin and ice to a man who put the drugs inside a magnetic box that was concealed underneath a car.

Barta, who is behind bars on remand, is listed to be sentenced at the Downing Centre District Court in May.

He has pleaded guilty to a string of charges including commercial drug supply and possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm.

When Barta was arrested Detective Superintendent Jason Weinstein said the probe had lasted half a year.

“Six months ago, Strike Force Pangolin commenced, and we allege this syndicate supplied prohibited drugs worth half a million dollars throughout Sydney,” he said.

“During the course of this investigation, officers identified a man was using his employment as a truck driver to facilitate the movement and supply of illicit drugs from a fruit market in Sydney’s inner west.”