Former Werribee estate agent David Costa jailed over cocaine deals

A former high-flying Werribee estate agent had his wings clipped after the drug kingpin’s cocaine racket was iced by undercover cops.

David Costa was jailed for trafficking cocaine. Facebook.

The lawyer for a former award-winning real estate agent turned cocaine dealer has told a court his client’s life has been “totally messed up” by drugs.

David Costa, 37, was jailed for 18 months in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday after pleading guilty to drug offences including trafficking.

Costa, who ran Elders Real Estate in Werribee and Tarneit for 15 years, was caught out after selling thousands’ of dollars worth of cocaine to an undercover police officer.

He first sold the man $1200 worth of coke from his Altona property on April 1 last year before the officer returned for $7500 worth of coke two days later.

On April 10, Costa organised for an associate to deal more to the covert officer at a Thomastown car wash.

Police arrested Costa in a Collins St hotel room in May, where he and a co-accused housed more than $10,000 in cash, bags of drugs and a number of mobile phones.

The sting came less than two years after Costa accepted a litre of GHB from another undercover office at his house, before escaping jail time in the County Court in June 2019.

He was again arrested and remanded in August last year when the Westgate Family Violence, Armed Crime and Federal Police Anti Gang squad raided an Altona factory which housed bags of cocaine and steroids as well as a firearm, a baton and ammunition.

Costa’s lawyer told the court his client had “no trouble” with authorities until the age of 35, developing substance abuse issues, anxiety and depression following a relationship breakdown.

The father of two once hiked to the Mt Everest base camp to raise $10,000 for the Good Friday Appeal and was once honoured as his community’s best real estate agent, the court heard.

“He’s certainly made a good mess of it,” the defence said.

“But he’s got another side to him rather than that scrungy drug dealer hanging around trying to get more cocaine.”

Costa’s lawyer told the court his client had managed to get clean after visitors who brought contraband into prisons were barred from attending due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“No one is talking about drugs, no one is asking where they can get them, whose got them … because there’s none available,” the defence said.

“(Costa) wants to start a new life.”

Magistrate Andrew McKenna said Costa’s offending was a “dramatic fall from grace”.

“From being a highly successful businessman in real estate where you won awards … you lost your relationship with your partner, and kids,” he told Costa.

“Perhaps the lure of additional money from that industry encouraged you to take up drug trading … it’s a very disturbing picture.”

Costa will serve 10 months behind bars before he is eligible for parole.

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