Nadia Bartel and her friends have been fined $5452 each by Victoria Police after *that* white powder snorting scandal taking over our feeds.
According to a statement by Victoria Police, four women were issued with fines for breaching Victoria’s stay-at-home orders, after a video went around of Nadia Bartel appearing to snort white powder off a plate during a small gathering with friends.
“A 36-year-old Windsor woman, a 32-year-old Richmond woman, a 33-year-old Pascoe Vale woman and a 35-year-old Strathmore woman have all be issued with a penalty infringement notice for failing to comply with requirements in relation to a private or public gathering,” a statement from Victoria Police said regarding the video.
The four women were fined $5452 each, though a fifth woman at the gathering wasn’t charged as, according to police, she was “complying with CHO employment restrictions”.
The police also said that “enquiries into possible drug offences are ongoing”.
In case you missed what all of this drama is about, a three-second video accidentally posted to Instagram last Thursday by Bartel’s friend and Spray Aus fake tan business co-owner, Ellie Pearson, showed Bartel lean over a plate with several lines of white powder on it before appearing to snort one through a rolled-up bank note.
Of course, the video was removed from her Instagram story pretty quickly, but by then screenshots had already been taken and circulated all over social media, prompting Bartel to release a statement apologising.
View this post on Instagram
“Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future.
“To my family and friends, my business partners and the public health workers trying to keep us all safe, I am embarrassed and remorseful.
“I am truly and deeply sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness and, in time, your trust.”
Since then, Bartel has been publicly called out by Victorian Premier Dan Andrews in a press conference, and also dropped by brand JSHealth Vitamins for “illicit behaviour”.
