Champion racehorse owner pleads guilty to importing cocaine

A high-profile champion racehorse owner is facing life behind bars after he admitted his role in a major international cocaine smuggling ring.

Disgraced Sydney racing identity Damion Flower is facing life in jail after pleading guilty to his role in a cocaine smuggling ring.

Flower, 48, was arrested in April 2019 at Sydney Airport alongside two other men after being caught up in a police sting operation.

Flower, a part-owner of champion stallion Snitzel, was on Monday morning brought into the Downing Centre District Court where he pleaded guilty to two charges.

“Guilty,” Flower, wearing a dark suit and tie, told the court as the two charges were read out.

Damion Flower at the 2005 Golden Slipper barrier draw Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

He had previously denied the charges against him and been denied bail in the NSW Supreme Court.

His trial was due to begin last week; however, he has now pleaded guilty to an amended charge sheet.

He on Monday afternoon entered the guilty pleas to one count each of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

The court was told that his offences occurred between June 29, 2016 and May 22, 2019, and more than $100,000 in drug money was found at his Moorebank home.

The drug importation offence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Flower was due to go to trial on drug importation charges but has pleaded guilty. Picture: Luke Marsden.

He was arrested alongside baggage handler John Mafiti, 52, and the pair will now face a sentence hearing in September.

Police in June 2016 found 24 kilograms of cocaine in a Nike sports bag that had not been collected from a Qantas flight from Johannesburg, according to fact sheet tendered in Mafiti’s proceedings.

Mafiti has pleaded guilty to one count of importing a border controlled drug and one count of dealing with more than $1m in the proceeds of crime.

Airport baggage handler John Mafiti will be sentenced for his role in a cocaine importation ring alongside Damion Flower. Picture: Facebook.

He has admitted to importing cocaine on 12 occasions between 2016 and 2019.

According to an agreed statement of facts signed by Mafiti, each shipment contained around 19kg of cocaine with a total of 228kg.

When police raided two storage lockers leased by Mafiti and his Hinchinbrook home in western Sydney, they discovered $6.1m in dufflebags and suitcases.