[AusRace] Sport of kings rocked by horse owner's multimillion-dollar cocaine ring arrest

Fri May 24 09:21:10 AEST 2019

and he was a former baggage handler himself ..... that i didn't know.

thanks Len again for a further insight

On Fri, May 24, 2019 at 6:46 AM L.B.Loveday <lloveday at ozemail.com.au> wrote:

> Sport of kings rocked by horse owner’s multimillion-dollar cocaine ring
> arrest
>
> Mark Morri <https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/journalists/mark-morri>,
> Nick Hansen and Campbell Gellie, The Daily Telegraph
>
> May 24, 2019 5:04am
>
> Subscriber only
>
> ·
>
> Some of the state’s top horses could be held under court order by the NSW
> Crime Commission as it investigates a leading racing identity’s alleged
> links to a multimillion-dollar cocaine ring.
>
> Former baggage handler Damion Flower is alleged to have teamed up with an
> ex-colleague and another man as part of a plot to smuggle the drugs through
> Sydney Airport.
>
> The 47-year-old, a part-owner of renowned racehorse Snitzel, To Oto O
> Junior Mafiti, 50, and Ashoor Youkhana, 42, have been charged over their
> alleged roles in an international cocaine syndicate, which is claimed to
> have imported drugs worth tens of millions of dollars.
>
> [image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/805ab6a16da743faaaa3165a87411fc9?width=316]
>
> Camilla Flower leaves Liverpool Local Court. Picture: Liam Driver[image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/22ecc0f3f8ac674e109ce29aeec5e41b?width=316]
>
> Damion Flower.
>
> The Daily Telegraph can reveal the powerful NSW Crime Commission is set to
> lodge an application in the NSW Supreme Court to freeze all of Flower’s
> assets, including his racehorses.
>
> The application would, if successful, stop him from selling any interests
> in the horses, but would not necessarily prevent them being trained or
> raced.
>
> The ex-Waverley College student paid $2.4 million for barrier slots in
> four consecutive instalments of the prestigious annual The Everest, the
> world’s richest race on turf.
>
> Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys said industry participants could
> be banned if they were deemed to have brought the sport into disrepute.
>
> “At Racing NSW, we have always had a no-fault stand-down rule similar to
> the NRL, where we reject nominations from anyone who we think is not acting
> in the best interests of racing,’’ Mr V’landys said.
>
> “Racing NSW also has options in regards to The Everest slot, but we need
> to consider all the information first so we can make informed decisions on
> this matter.’’
>
> [image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/6e2b1bf3317d45534305a35e5a793ddb?width=1024]To
> Oto O Junior Mafiti, 50, from Oran Park, was allegedly using his airside
> access to import cocaine through the baggage holds of commercial flights.
>
> It is understood that when he was arrested, Flower owed $2.4 million for
> four yearlings he bought last month at the Inglis Easter sales.
>
> Flower was arrested at his Moorebank home at 5pm on Wednesday, taken to
> Liverpool police station and charged with six counts of importing a
> commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
>
> At the same time, Qantas baggage handler Mafiti was arrested at the
> airport, allegedly with 28kg of cocaine in a bag. He was charged with five
> counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
>
> Neither of the men applied for bail in brief court appearances on
> Thursday, where Flower’s wife Camilla sobbed before her husband was brought
> up from the cells at Liverpool Local Court.
>
> [image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/261e3ab9c39edaa598d14f94f4a9a7b5?width=1024]Damien
> Flower and his wife Camilla, in 2005.[image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/d373d5e3da27b306300f3f482570a53c?width=1024]Racehorse
> Snitzel ridden by jockey Glen Boss is led back to the scale by owner Damion
> Flower (left) after winning Strawberry Hill Stud Slipper at Wyong.
>
> It is alleged Mafiti, from Oran Park, was using his privileged access to
> import cocaine through the baggage holds of commercial flights. Flower, who
> is intending to plead not guilty, was allegedly seen by police with Mafiti
> when the drugs were dropped off after being removed from the planes.
>
> The syndicate is alleged to have used Qantas flights from South Africa —
> including QF64 on Wednesday — to import the drugs.
>
> Flower has been charged over alleged importations of cocaine on May 22,
> April 15, March 15, February 12, January 29 and January 22.
>
> Their arrests come more than a month after Youkhana, from Middleton
> Grange, was arrested in a car near Sydney Airport, allegedly in possession
> of a duffel bag containing 27kg of cocaine in vacuum-sealed packages
> wrapped in black and silver paper. He has been charged, in relation to the
> syndicate, with one count of trafficking in a commercial quantity of a
> controlled drug.
>
> [image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/61dea003284f1f49b76e1a5e52465259?width=1024]About
> $8 million in cash was seized at Hoxton Park
>
> A major police operation swooped on homes and storage units in Hoxton
> Park, Oran Park, Moorebank and Revesby yesterday, with police allegedly
> seizing more than 50kg of cocaine and $8 million cash.
>
> Flower’s arrest has rocked Australia’s thoroughbred racing community. He
> is a high-profile identity in the sport who has shares in more than 50
> horses trained by Brad Widdup at Platinum Park at Hawkesbury.
>
> Flower first came to prominence as the owner of the outstanding sprinter
> Snitzel, winner of seven races including the Group 1 OakIeigh Plate in
> 2005, earning more than $1 million prize money.
>
> In the 2017 Everest race he entered a horse called Totally Innocent, which
> finished eighth.
>
> [image:
> https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/8a60af21c4817e6020f98290e1f0c942?width=1024]Damion
> Flower, owner of Golden Slipper favourite Snitzel, in Martin Place.
> Picture: AAP
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