Pro-boxer barman who trafficked coke via Snapchat walks free

A boxer who worked behind the bar at a trendy Gold Coast nightspot has walked free from court on a suspended sentence for trafficking cocaine to an undercover cop via social media app Snapchat.

A boxer who worked behind the bar at a trendy Gold Coast nightspot has walked free from court on a suspended sentence for trafficking cocaine to an undercover cop via social media app Snapchat.

Joel Jaimie Pavlides, 20, who was working at the Henchman Bar in Miami while pushing cocaine, was in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Wednesday where Justice Frances Williams sentenced him to four years prison, wholly suspended for five years, on the most serious charge of trafficking in the drug between January and May last year.

Pavlides also pleaded guilty to four other less serious drug-related charges.

Crown Prosecutor James Bishop told the court that Pavlides was busted four months after he sold his first bag of cocaine to an undercover cop on January 29 last year, while working behind the bar at the Henchman.

Pavlides told the cop that he could “help out” if the man “wanted to have a good time”, telling him he sold bags of coke for $300.

Joel Pavlides pictured leaving Brisbane Supreme Court. Picture: Liam Kidston

Later that night he sold the undercover cop 0.1g of coke, and gave him his Snapchat username and messaged him to contact him if he “needed more”.

The next day the cop, posing as a drug user, contacted Pavlides on Snapchat asking for 3.5g of the drug, and Pavlides supplied 1.9g of powder for $1200.

In the following months the pair did deals to for the undercover officer to buy $43,000 worth of cocaine, including a $300 buy at the Henchman Bar in early February and a $1200 sale on February 12.

On February 26, the undercover officer asked for 7g of cocaine, and Pavlides gave him 5.9g of substance for $2200, then on March 5 they met at the bar again where Pavlides supplied 2.9g of substance.

On April 12 via a Snapchat exchange, Pavlides offered to supply 7g of cocaine for $2100, and they met the next day at the Pacific Fair shopping centre where Pavlides supplied 2.6g of powdered substance for $1000.

Pavlides told the officer he was “making a good amount of money selling from the bar”.

On April 23 Pavlides sold 9.6g of cocaine worth $8500, then Pavlides was arrested after selling the officer a hefty 84g of powder for $27,000 on May 20 at Broadbeach soccer club.
The street value of the powder, which contained 27g of pure cocaine, was as high as $42,000, Mr Bishop told the court.

Snapchat cocaine dealer Joel Jaimie Pavlides. Picture supplied

Defence barrister Joshua Jones said his client was young, had not profited from the drug sales because he was snorting them, had shown remorse and only sold drugs because he was under pressure, and had been threatened by his supplier named Mick.

Another man, Joel Handford, was associate of Mick who also pressured Pavlides to keep dealing, Mr Jones told the court.

Mr Jones said Pavlides offered to help police and become an informant after his arrest.

“He attended the police station, spoke with the investigating officer and then spoke with the investigating officer’s boss. Ultimately we are told that did not eventuate because he didn't have names,” Mr Jones told the court.

Mr Jones said that the stress and fear of facing a possible jail term had seen the return of Pavlides’ childhood stutter.

Justice Williams told Pavlides that jail time was not necessary because he had accepted responsibility for his crimes, was very young, had not profited and was no longer using drugs himself.

Pavlides remains a barman at another unnamed Gold Coast bar, and trains as a professional boxer.

Originally published as Pro-boxer barman who trafficked coke via Snapchat walks free