A bodybuilder accused of being the head of a “cocaine school” claims he was taking a break in the middle of his career when he once competed against Grant Hackett, the legendary Australian swimmer.
Despite working as a full-time roads and drainage officer for the Gold Coast government, Rhys Alwyn Ferszt, 33, was charged with running a cocaine production operation with connections to a Colombian criminal organization.
It is said that he oversaw the $250,000 construction of a cocaine lab in the remote Queensland town of Durong, where police recently found 100kg of cocaine that had been purified and extracted.
Additionally, he is charged with instructing others in the extraction of cocaine while simultaneously keeping the chemicals and fuels necessary in the process.
In Queensland’s Supreme Court in Brisbane on Friday, he made a bail application, arguing that he was taking a break from work at the time of the offense.
Rhys Ferszt, 33, is identified as the suspected mastermind behind a $175 million cocaine plan.
He is also accused of instructing others on how to extract cocaine while keeping gasoline and chemicals needed for the procedure in storage.
Michael Gatenby, the defense attorney, informed the court that some of the prosecution’s evidence was inaccurate and was intended to demonstrate whether Ferszt had access to “significant” sums of illegal funds.
The Courier Mail reports that he claimed his client had a reliable source of income and was only taking a break from his council work, which he would resume if released on bail.
A letter the council gave to the court confirming Ferszt was on paid leave at the time of the offense, according to Justice Declan Kelly, supported the argument.
He posed a flight risk, a risk of reoffending, and a risk of interfering with case witnesses, according to the prosecution.
Mr. Gatenby disagreed, saying that bail was acceptable, his client was not a flight risk, would report to police seven days a week, give up his passport, and provide a $200,000 guarantee.
Mr. Gatenby told the court, “There’s really nothing that implies that there is an acceptable risk of committing more offenses.”
He exhibits a tendency to stay in the neighborhood. He has demonstrated the ability to wake up in the morning, go to the gym, engage in those (sporting) activities, and, in my opinion, to comply with the requirements of reporting to the police.
He is providing a surety, turning in his passport, residing in a place where he has a solid job, and he is in a committed relationship. He also offers to comply with some serious reporting requirements.
Police reportedly discovered 100kg of pure extracted cocaine in a $250,000 cocaine laboratory that is said to have been built by Ferszt in the remote Queensland town of Durong.
According to police, the arrest was caused by a communication sent to Ferszt about a shipment of cocaine.
In three states, nine persons were detained for their alleged involvement in a drug operation.
Upon reviewing the conditions of the bail application, Justice Kelly made the decision to approve it.
Justice Kelly stated, “I have come to the conclusion that the restrictions specified by the applicant can effectively mitigate the danger with regard to any graduate bail.”
The applicant’s release on bail under the terms he has suggested would not represent an intolerable danger, according to the circumstances.
Consequently, “I shall make an order in terms of the document.”
Ferszt will now have to abide by stringent bail restrictions, which forbid him from using any encrypted apps on his phone. Additionally, upon request, he must provide bail officers access to his phone and all of its passwords.
On July 21, he was initially detained in the Northern Territory together with nine other people, including his housemate and girlfriend.
He is charged with one count of conspiring to produce banned substances in commercial quantities between May 25 and July 21, 2022.
Before transporting the cocaine to Brisbane to be repackaged into two refrigerators, Ferszt and two other men are accused of packing 11 bricks of cocaine into a grill.
Over $1 million in cash was taken by police from the house of a 32-year-old Brisbane woman; the money is thought to represent cocaine cartel proceeds.
He might receive an 18-year prison sentence if found guilty.
Police assert that Ferszt was informed of a shipment of cocaine brought into NSW illegally, which finally resulted in the group’s arrests in large numbers.
11 bricks of cocaine were allegedly put into a grill by Ferszt and two other men before being transported to Brisbane and repackaged into two refrigerators.
Then one of the males seized the refrigerators, but NSW police stopped him.
Police allegedly found steroids, firearms, $60,000 cash, a paper shredder, and a notepad with the headings “Aus, Key, Overflow, and Stash Bag” when they later raided Ferszt’s NT home.
He was then detained and extradited to Queensland from the Northern Territory, where he was subsequently remanded in detention.
Denis Cotterell, who also coached Olympic champions Grant Hackett and Giaan Rooney, trained Ferszt at one point while he was still a young man living on the Gold Coast.
He participated in the 2011 Australian 10km open water championships at the London Olympic trials alongside Hackett and also competed against Ky Hurst, placing tenth.
He additionally served as a lifeguard for the Gold Coast City Council.
Leave a Reply