Steven Adams: High-profile SEQ restaurateur admits cocaine possession, supply charges
The 51-year-old man, who owns a trio of glamorous venues in Brisbane and the Gold Coast alongside his wife, who was also charged, was outed as a client of an alleged cocaine kingpin via covert surveillance.
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A high-profile southeast Queensland restaurateur was caught in a major drug sting when covert surveillance captured him purchasing cocaine and sharing lines at the residence of the operation’s main target, a court has heard.
Broadbeach Waters man Steven Raymond Adams, 51, who owns Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill restaurants at Broadbeach and Brisbane City, and Blowfish Ocean Grill + Bar, also at Broadbeach, appeared in Southport District Court on Friday.
He pleaded guilty to two counts each of possessing and supplying cocaine.
The offences occurred in June and July last year.
On June 26, Adams attended the Broadbeach residence of Mathew Ian Lalic, 36, who was described by Crown prosecutor Ayesha Black as a “close associate” of Adams and his wife and business partner Autumn Victoria Adams, 45 – who faced her own legal troubles in January.
Covert surveillance devices, which had been monitoring Mr Lalic’s residence since May 7, captured Adams purchasing a quantity of cocaine from Mr Lalic.
Adams then used a bottle of wine to crush the cocaine and he snorted a line with a rolled bank note.
About a month later, the devices again captured Adams purchasing a quantity of cocaine from Mr Lalic, the court heard.
Later that evening, Adams was depicted providing a line of cocaine to Kirsty Wallbanks, 31, and Mr Lalic’s housemate Todd Patrick Fagan, 37.
Police raided the Adams’ residence and business premises on August 2 last year, charging the pair and seizing mobile phones and hard drives in relation to their investigation into Mr Lalic, Ms Black said.
Adams’ defence counsel Patrick McCafferty KC told the court his client had submitted 12 clear drug screens since the offending and had engaged professional help.
He said the drug use was driven by “frailty as a result of situational stresses”, notably Adams’ UK-based mother being diagnosed with cancer, and other health issues within the family.
Mr McCafferty said his client was acutely embarrassed to be before the court and stressed Adams’ good standing in the community by virtue of the restaurants’ extensive support of charitable causes and the employment opportunities they provide.
Judge Jodie Wooldridge KC sentenced Adams to 180 hours’ community service, with no convictions recorded.
The Adams’ were two of nine people charged as a result of a police sting last August known as Operation Victor Mosquito.
Police said at the time they executed search warrants at Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach Waters, acting on intelligence from the Crime and Intelligence Command Organised Crime Gangs Group.
They allegedly seized contraband including cocaine, drug paraphernalia, mobile phones, large amounts of cash and a BMW X5.
Those with outstanding charges included Jesse William Ward-Howard, 34, Mathew Ian Lalic, 36, Ms Wallbanks, Anthony James Hood, 61, Clinton Wade Andela, 62, and Dr Sameer Tatavarty Bharatam, 40, a cardiologist who formerly worked at Gold Coast Private Hospital.
Messrs Lalic and Hood, and Ms Wallbanks, are facing charges including trafficking, supplying and possessing cocaine.
Mr Ward-Howard and Dr Bharatam are facing charges including supplying cocaine, while Mr Andela is charged with offences including possessing dangerous drugs and possessing property obtained from trafficking or supplying.
Those six defendants are yet to enter pleas.
Mrs Adams, the defendant’s wife, pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court in January to nine charges of possessing cocaine, for which she was fined $1500 and placed on a 12-month, $2500 good behaviour bond, with no convictions recorded.
On that occasion, the court heard Mrs Adams was ensnared in the operation in a similar way to her husband – covert devices depicting her purchasing drugs at Mr Lalic’s residence.
In April, Fagan, whose name has not previously been reported in connection to the case, pleaded guilty to possessing more than 3g of cocaine.
The Southport Magistrates Court heard on that occasion Fagan was Mr Lalic’s housemate.
It was during a search of their Broadbeach residence that five clipseal bags of cocaine were located in Fagan’s bedside table.
He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended. A conviction was recorded.
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Originally published as Steven Adams: High-profile SEQ restaurateur admits cocaine possession, supply charges
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