Courier Mail David Barbeler February 04, 2009 03:00pm
A SELF-declared drag racing icon allegedly involved in a major drug trafficking network has been granted bail after facing court.
Brett Stevens, 44, of Narangba, faced Brisbane Magistrate's Court today on six charges including producing, supplying and trafficking dangerous drugs.
Stevens was arrested with four other co-accused after a year-long operation which Queensland police allege smashed a significant drug network.
The operation culminated yesterday morning with the execution of 15 search warrants in Brisbane and on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, and one in New South Wales.
Police seized more than $6 million worth of property including 11 high performance drag racing vehicles - six cars and five motorcycles - at Yatala, south of Brisbane.
The prosecution opposed bail and had its bid for Stevens to provide a surety rejected, as all of his assets have been frozen.
The court heard Stevens also had outstanding debts owing to the Australian Taxation Office.
Stevens' defence lawyer Andrew Bale said his client was not a flight risk as his passport had been confiscated and that he had not previously fled despite being under surveillance for some time.
Stevens was granted bail on the condition that he have no contact with any of the co-accused or witnesses and he remain at his Narangba residence.
Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 07:45 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Shane McInnes wrote on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 07:30 pm:
Bit of a big blow for Drag Racing in Australia. No more Stevens
Not really. He'd already quit( end of last year)
The blow is that the whole sport will be dragged down with him. Drag racing had been working hard over the last decade to gain a reputation as a family event, and become more mainstream. They had been getting good, solid corporate sponsors like Jack daniels, Ford, Holden, etc.
I'll bet JD will NOT be loving all the images of its label under the headline "DRUGS".
Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 11:33 pm, by: James Harris(Haro)
Maurice Diggler wrote on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 04:24 pm:
So what drugs was it? Will there be any shortages?
They were mainly the little round hard ones with things pressed onto them.
As for the shortage.... who knows... supply and demand can be a bitch sometimes Morgs, i wish you the best of luck getting through the upcoming tough times haha
Monday, February 09, 2009 - 08:54 am, by: Jeff Bedsor(Jeff_bedsor)
To whom it may concern,
I am writing this letter to explain to you the situation that has arisen this past week. I understand that numerous national news channels and publications around Australia have led the public to believe that I was caught with on my property, or in my possession, a large quantity of drugs, drug manufacturing apparatus, and huge amounts of cash, amongst other illegal items.
This is totally and utterly false and a great deception that is once again an attempt to destroy my character or what is left of it.
As proof to verify that these implications are completely false, I have included with this letter the property receipts from the police themselves, of what was actually removed from my properties in which there is nothing illegal in regards to any of it.
Note: 1/ There was absolutely no drugs or evidence of drugs found or removed from any of my properties as was portrayed to the public by the media and police.
2/ There was absolutely no drug manufacturing equipment, pill presses or anything else that relates to the manufacture of illicit drugs found or removed from any of my properties.
3/ There were no large amounts of money found or removed from any of my properties.
The only money taken was approximately ten thousand dollars which was from my daughters Skye’s money box, the cash floats from our merchandise trolleys, merchandise that my wife Kath had sold on e-bay, one days banking from our business and some money that Kath and her family had put aside for her brothers head stone on his grave.
I don’t mind admitting that financially it is has been a tough time of late, but if I was this person that is being portrayed, would I be in the financial difficulty that I am in now? I wish I had the millions of dollars in cash they said I had and then I would pay off all my creditors.
I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, but what I do want is for you to think about the person that you know and have dealt with for the past number of years and please don’t judge me on the unjust ‘trial-by-media’ that I have received. I don’t know how, but I need to get the truth out there as to what really happened, and I would appreciate any help in regards to this.
In closing, this is going to be a very tough time for my family and I hope that none of you will think badly of them and will give them the support they deserve. Please spare a thought for Kath and Skye as they are the most important things in my life.
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