Neighbours actor Aravinda Mathuran busted importing and dealing MDMA, cocaine
A Neighbours actor – known in drug circles as ‘drkemist’ – who also appeared in Wentworth and Romper Stomper has been busted peddling premium European MDMA, LSD and cocaine to Melbourne’s party scene players.
Inner East
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A Neighbours actor who imported and sold high-quality drugs under the alias ‘drkemist’ has been jailed.
Aravinda Mathuran, 30, was sentenced in the County Court yesterday to 39 months’ jail – with 21 months wholly suspended – after pleading guilty to importing and trafficking drugs.
Mathuran was busted after Australian Border Force intercepted 15 parcels containing a combined weight of more than half a kilo of MDMA with a street value of $40,000.
The parcels, which also contained cocaine and ketamine, were mailed from the United Kingdom, Germany and France between September 2018 and February 2019.
The parcels were addressed to mailboxes in Elsternwick, Hawthorn, Camberwell and Malvern held by an alias known as “Stefan Perera”.
Investigators linked the parcels and the Perara alias to Mathuran then raided his Glen Iris home on February 8 last year.
Police seized drugs, mobile phones, fake IDs and more than $2000 cash.
Phone analysis revealed evidence of numerous MDMA, cocaine and LSD transactions stretching back to 2018.
The phone also contained screenshot messages to Mathuran’s dealer name ‘drkemist’, tick notes and photos of drugs under a tab labelled “biz”.
The messages included customer feedback on Mathuran’s drug quality including:
“Great coke by the way”.
“Premium coke my brother, my mate from Perth says it's the best he ever had”.
“What are these tabs called? That shit was magical”.
Mathuran gave a “no comment” interview to police.
The court heard Mathuran graduated from Mount Waverley Secondary College before working as an insurance broker.
Mathuran took up acting 2017 and has appeared in Australian television shows Neighbours, Wentworth, Wrong Girl and Romper Stomper.
He has also appeared in several commercials for brands including Carlton Draught, Cbus, Sportsbet and Bupa.
In his online acting bio, Mathuran says he is “very passionate about acting and looking to get involved in as many productions as possible”.
According to Mathuran, he has “featured in a number of independent films and corporate shoots”.
The court heard Mathuran enjoyed his party boy world “dominated by illicit substances”.
Mathuran, who has continued to work as an actor since he was granted bail in early-2019, was driving for Uber just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
Judge Scott Johns said Mathuran committed “serious criminality”.
“In my assessment you have been a person of otherwise good character who has descended into a party lifestyle …,” Judge Johns said.
“A party lifestyle that embraced drug use and supply of drugs that are often misnamed party drugs.
“Over time your drift into serious criminality has occurred due to the availability of means of importing which eased the manner in which someone of your background and predisposition can engage with organised crime.”
Judge Johns took into account Mathuran’s efforts to undertake drug rehabilitation.
Mathuran – who had spent 57 days in custody – will serve 18 months’ jail before his sentence is wholly suspended for 21 months.
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