Queensland Police have pulled off what they describe as one of the largest drug busts in the state’s history, with approximately $750,000 worth of cocaine and ice seized from premises across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Popular Toowong restaurant Mariosarti was part of the probe, and police have arrested its owner, 40-year-old Daniel Milos, along with four other employees, including one identified by ABC News as the restaurant’s head chef.
The five will face court this morning on 33 drug-related charges, with more expected to be laid at a later time.
A home in Fig Tree Pocket was one of 11 locations raided yesterday, and a number of high-end vehicles were also seized, in what police have described as a “sophisticated network” of crime.
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission state manager Charlie Carver said that the successful operation will cause “significant disruption” to cocaine distribution in the state’s south east, adding:
“Many criminals run so-called front-end shops and businesses which will appear from first blush to actually be legitimate. However once you dig into the investigation and you look through what’s actually been happening, you find the illegal activity which is used to launder funds and also fund further illicit activities.”
UPDATE: Per reports in News Corp, Daniel Milos has been granted bail and says it will be “business as usual” at his restaurant, adding that he will “vigorously” fight the charges against him.
Milos is facing 10 counts of supplying drugs, along with further counts in relation to drug trafficking and possession and money laundering. Mariosarti head chef Ryan David McIver faces one count of trafficking and three of supplying drugs.
The two men will be allowed to communicate for work purposes, and both are due to reappear in court on May 8.
Source: Brisbane Times / 7 News Brisbane.
Photo: Mariosarti / Instagram.
