Talented soccer player Lewis Farquhar jailed for role in large scale drug syndicate exposed by Operation Ironside

He was a talented soccer player. So how did he become a “trusted” Operation Ironside drug runner for a multimillion-dollar syndicate? And how long will he spend behind bars?

A promising South Australian soccer player turned “trusted” Operation Ironside drug runner for a multimillion-dollar syndicate has been jailed for more than a decade for the “very large scale” drug offending.

Lewis Andrew Farquhar, 30, was among dozens of people arrested early on June 7, 2021, when law enforcement agencies disabled the encrypted AN0M application and pounced on its users.

At the time, he was living with his brother Stuart Farquhar in Mt Barker and together the pair interchangeably used the same encrypted AN0M device to receive instructions from senior figures in a criminal syndicate for storing, retrieving and transporting large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin.

Talented soccer player Lewis Farquhar has been jailed for his role in a "large scale" Operation Ironside criminal syndicate which distributed large amounts of drugs in SA. Picture: Facebook

In sentencing, District Court Judge Emily Telfer said Lewis Farquhar’s involvement was integral to the distribution of large amounts of the harmful illicit substances.

“You were a trusted member of an active and profitable syndicate,” she said.

“You played an important role because you could be trusted with large amounts of product, but you could also be trusted with large amounts of cash.

“Your work enabled large quantities of drugs and money to move between places undetected.”

On one occasion, in January 2021, she said Lewis Farquhar met a truck carrying 20kg of methamphetamine from New South Wales at a sports facility in Mt Barker, collected the drugs and stored them, before later distributing them in separate 5kg lots over the following three weeks.

His involvement on other occasions included collecting 10kg of methylamphetamine, amounts of “brown” heroin and “white” heroin and arranging for supply of “samples”. He also collected drugs from a “secret hiding place” in a vehicle transported from interstate.

Judge Telfer said Lewis Farquhar had been a “talented sports person” who played professional soccer, including for state premier league teams including Adelaide City.

But Judge Telfer said he suffered injuries on the sports field which led him first to seek codeine for relief and later illicit drugs.

When police raided the Mount Barker home of the brothers, they found 686g of heroin in Stuart Farquhar’s bedroom.

Judge Telfer said the drugs were the remains of larger consignments which the brothers were storing.

Lewis Farquhar pleaded guilty to four counts of trafficking in large commercial quantity of a controlled drug and three counts of trafficking in a commercial quantity of a controlled drug.

His older brother, Stuart Farquhar, 32, entered earlier guilty pleas to same charges and was initially jailed for four years and six months for his role in the offending. The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the sentence, suggesting it would “shake the public confidence in the administration of justice” if it were allowed to stand.

The Court of Appeal subsequently re-sentenced Stuart Farquhar to 13 years’ jail, which was reduced by 35 per cent for his guilty plea to eight years, nine months and 10 days with a non-parole period of seven years and eight days.

After a discount for his later plea, Judge Telfer jailed Lewis Farquhar for 11 years, four months and 25 days.

She imposed a non-parole period of nine years and six weeks. He will be eligible for parole in July 2030.

Originally published as Talented soccer player Lewis Farquhar jailed for role in large scale drug syndicate exposed by Operation Ironside