Former pizza boss George Awkar throws himself on mercy of the court, pleads to significant drug trafficking

George Awkar was once on top of the world – a successful pizza bar and business prospects galore, but a bad business deal, meth and the AN0M app led to his downfall.

In 2010, George Awkar was on top of the world.

The 50-year-old Lebanese migrant owned his popular pizza shop, San Georgio, outright and was looking to expand into other ventures.

He was prominent in the Lebanese community, his church and the Freemasons.

But a failed investment put him on a slippery slope that led from the lofty heights of the business community to the crushing low of a jail cell and the prospect of a lengthy term of imprisonment.

Down more than $100,000 from a failed business in Lebanon, Awkar sold a portion of his restaurant – which is now under new ownership – and started using drugs.

On June 7, 2021, Awkar was among hundreds of people around the world to be arrested as part of an international operation targeting users of the encrypted AN0M app.

Police burst through the door of Awkar’s Semaphore Park home, locating 85g of methamphetamine and $80,000 in a suit case.

But it was the thousands of messages contained on Awkar’s AN0M enabled phone that would prove damning.

He has since pleaded guilty to 10 counts of money laundering and drug trafficking.

Awkar – operating under the handle “Pizza” – had been the middle man in a large drug syndicate that was pushing kilograms of methamphetamine on to the streets of Adelaide.

Kilos of the drug – with price tags ranging between $100,000 and $240,000 – would be left in his car, which was emblazoned with signage for a pizza bar where he was working.

Thousands of AN0M messages tendered to the District Court during sentencing submissions revealed the extent of Awkar’s involvement in the drug trade.

Awkar was receiving kilograms of methamphetamine from a suburban supplier, who was in constant communication with him over the AN0M app.

Even while Awkar was working at a local pizza bar, he was communicating with his supplier and another dealer to facilitate drugs being dropped at his house.

Kilograms of methamphetamine, and later cocaine, were buried at Awkar’s Semaphore Park home as he held “gear” for other dealers who were away working in the mines.

But during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, international supply lines dried up.

Awkar and the more senior members of his syndicate were left with limited options as the wholesale price of a kilogram of methamphetamine more than doubled.

The syndicate resorted to selling “wet” methamphetamine, or crystals soaked in methamphetamine oil, but the transactions did not go to plan.

“Regarding the gear its (sic) not really moving at all I am just arguing with everyone basically as they don’t want it and they want it to be returned,” Awkar messaged on June 26, 2020

“So if anyone here can move it just let me know bro they can have some of what I have otherwise its (sic) not turning at all.”

The next month Awkar was looking for a supply of “dry” gear.

“I know it’s pricey atm if you can organise for me some decent stuff I will be able to move it as people are asking non-stop,” he wrote.

“And coz its (sic) dry we still have the chance to keep some of my good customers.

“I know that a guy he was pushing heaps to my people but they only got from him coz we didn’t have any.”

The messages showed Awkar organising clandestine meetings with his supplier.

They would meet down the street from a southern suburbs Hungry Jacks and Awkar would hand over bundles of cash sometimes exceeding $100,000.

During sentencing submissions, a prosecutor said Awkar was a mid-level dealer, but held commercial and large commercial quantities of the methamphetamine before it was shipped to the streets.

“He was not a courier, he was significantly above a street-level dealer,” the prosecutor told Judge Paul Cuthbertson.

Michael Woods, for Awkar, told the court that while some of his co-accused, who had yet to plead, were caught with luxury cars and stacked bank accounts, Awkar had been left destitute by a crippling drug habit.

“He was using 1.75g of methamphetamine every couple of days,” Mr Wood said.

“He owed money for the drugs he was supposed to be selling and for the drugs he was using.

“He was caught in this vortex of going down the tube.

“He knows he has let down his family and community.”

Awkar, who has been in custody for 15 months already, wiped away tears in the dock as Judge Cuthbertson heard the details of his offending.

He will be sentenced later this year.

Originally published as Former pizza boss George Awkar throws himself on mercy of the court, pleads to significant drug trafficking