Nightclub king Darren ‘Razzle’ Thornburgh had $1 million drug debt when found dead at Barmah property
DEAD Melbourne nightclub king Darren ‘Razzle’ Thornburgh had survived an attempted hit at his club Boutique as drug heavies chased his $1m debt.
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NIGHTCLUB King Darren “Razzle” Thornburgh racked up a $1 million drug debt and attempted to cover up a hit on his own life from heavy enforcers.
The Herald Sun can now reveal his debt had mounted over at least the past three years as his use of cocaine and, in most recent times, ice increased.
Police investigators say the shooting up of his Prahran nightclub, Boutique, and the Port Melbourne home where his ex-wife lived with the couple’s youngest daughter were warning shots over the unpaid drug money.
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NEWS REPORT: Boutique owner found dead in Barmah
Thornburgh’s high flying lifestyle ended in November last year, when police found him dead, dressed in his pyjamas, on the front porch at his Barmah rural property, about 250km north of Melbourne.
It has now emerged that despite being inside his Greville St nightclub when a man parked his car outside the celebrity hotspot in 2016 and blasted three shots at the venue, he did not report the matter to police.
Instead, he picked up the bullets from inside and from the gutter and put them in his car.
It wasn’t until a passer-by reported the shooting that police worked out he tried to cover up the shooting.
During the police probe, detectives found bullet cases involved in the shooting inside his car.
Days later, five shots were fired at 4.45am into his former wife’s beachside property. The same bullets found at the nightclub, were also the same ones fired into his former wife’s house.
The Echo Taskforce was brought in to investigate with original thoughts it was Comanchero behind the shootings.
Bikie-like figures had bashed him on multiple occasions at the office inside the club and one night caused an all-in-brawl at the venue, using alcohol bottles as weapons.
But police now say it was not outlaw bikies who shot the place up.
Boutique was one of the hottest nightclubs in Australia with Thornburgh entertaining Hollywood celebrities, pop stars, models and sports stars including the likes of Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, George Harrison, Kylie Minogue, Michael Schumacher, Natalie Imbruglia, Kim Kardashian and Tommy Lee.
But his party lifestyle took over his life, with three to five day drug binges, and in the lead up to the father-of-two’s death, friends reached out to the once disco king, attempting to convince to go into rehab.
Thornburgh refused to give police any information about who may have been behind the shooting and did not disclose his financial affairs to police.
A detective familiar with case said there were “a lot of possible suspects” but Thornburgh maintained “I don’t know anything about this”.
“He was in trouble with a few people,” the officer said.
“He didn’t want the ex-wife to know what he was up to, and that’s the main reason he didn’t want to help us.
“We assumed it was over a drug debt. But he wasn’t forthcoming about anything. He was pretty quiet about the whole situation.”
Ms Foster said she did not know who was behind the shootings but said it wasn’t bikies.
She said her former husband made “stupid decisions and mistakes” and they were mainly driven by his ego, anger and paranoia.
“That was a terrifying night to have five shots in your car and home while you are sleeping — it was terrifying,” she told the Herald Sun.
Another investigating officer said Thornburgh “had crossed the wrong people” and owed money.
“He was a very colourful individual and very paranoid,” a police source familiar with the case said.
“When your place is shot up and then your Mrs place is shot up, you will start to have cause for concern.”
The shootings remain unsolved and the shooter remains on the run.
But police have put in parameters to get the investigation going should more information come forward.
Thornburgh was evicted from the nightclub in October last year after failing to negotiate a new lease — many pointing to losing the club as a contributing factor to his death.
Thornburgh did not write up a Will and authorities and his family are trying to hunt down his missing cash and assets.