Lawson Hayles: Gold Coast gym owner, ex pro-surfer, pleads guilty to 15 charges in Southport court

A Gold Coast man who paid a steep price for his role in an ice and cocaine trafficking syndicate has pleaded guilty to 15 charges stemming from his involvement in the dark criminal enterprise.

Lawson Hayles during the 2024 drug trafficking proceedings in the Brisbane Supreme Court. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

A Gold Coast man who paid a steep price for his role in a methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking syndicate has pleaded guilty to 15 more charges but escaped further punishment.

Bilinga man Lawson Gerard Hayles, 38, a former professional surfer who later went on to work as a carpenter and own his own boxing gym, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to a raft of offences, most seriously possessing $50,000 suspected of being the proceeds of drug-related offending.

He also pleaded guilty to multiple bail breaches, possessing ammunition, possessing controlled and restricted drugs such as alprazolam (a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety), possessing drug utensils, and possessing dangerous drugs.

The court heard the offences occurred contemporaneously to Hayles’ involvement in a meth and cocaine syndicate several years ago, for which he was sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court last April.

Hayles was a former professional surfer. Picture: Facebook

Acting Magistrate Sarah Thompson convicted Hayles of the offences but imposed no further punishment, on the basis that had the charges been before the Supreme Court when he was previously sentenced, he would have received no harsher punishment than that which he received.

Last year, Hayles was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment wholly suspended, three years’ imprisonment with immediate parole release, and a five-year, $2000 good-behaviour bond by Justice Peter Callaghan after pleading guilty to nine charges, most seriously drug trafficking and attempting to possess a marketable quantity of unlawfully imported cocaine.

Hayles worked as a carpenter after his retirement from professional surfing. Picture: Luke Marsden

The Supreme Court previously heard Hayles was part of a syndicate that sold $467,795 of cocaine and ice between November 20, 2019 and May 10, 2020, with customers all over the Gold Coast and Tweed area.

Additionally, he attempted smuggle 1.5kg of powder containing 426g of pure cocaine from Portugal in a Sony PlayStation console in the mail, the plot being foiled by the Australian Federal Police.

Defence counsel Matthew Hynes told the court previously his client had paid a high price for his involvement in the syndicate, with multiple raids on his gym by standover men resulting in the defendant receiving a fractured eye socket and “shattered” leg, in addition to being burnt by hot irons.

A young Hayles, depicted circa 2007. Picture: File

He avoided actual time spent in custody on the basis he had received credible threats that should he be imprisoned, he would be sexually violated by gang members.

The court previously heard Hayles, a former professional surfer who learnt his chops as part of the Currumbin-based Alley Boardriders, became involved in cocaine at the age of 33 following the death of his father.

Originally published as Lawson Hayles: Gold Coast gym owner, ex pro-surfer, pleads guilty to 15 charges in Southport court