Cocaine party uncovered in luxury Sydney apartment; weapons found

Drug squad detectives smashed down the door of a $2 million rental apartment in a luxury St Leonards tower on Sydney's lower north shore at about 10 a.m. last October, uncovering a midweek cocaine party attended by ten men. Convicted weapons importer and drug supplier Ali Seyedabadi was among them, police said.

Inside the apartment, the living area included a stripper pole and a gel blaster firearm, with drug paraphernalia on coffee tables and kitchen benches. Police seized about 60 bags of cocaine and 60.2 grams of cocaine in resealable bags scattered throughout the premises, including 22.6 grams secreted in Seyedabadi's underwear in seven bags. A plate with cocaine on it, cards used to cut the drug on the kitchen bench, two glass pipes and lighters, and a device to inhale the drug were also found.

The two million dollar rental unit sits in a ritzy tower block and offered harbour views from a rooftop infinity pool. Manly Local Court was told Seyedabadi, 49, had spiralled into cocaine use after splitting from Kat Johnston, the mother of his two children. Authorities noted a prior customs finding that he imported weapons, described by officers as a small arsenal, including knives and knuckledusters, brought back from Thailand.

Seyedabadi faced charges of supplying a prohibited drug, possessing an unauthorised firearm and knowingly allowing his address to be used as a drug premises. The last charge was later withdrawn. Police could not exclude that about 30 grams of cocaine were for the offender's personal use, but prosecutors did not lodge a possession charge for that quantity. Seyedabadi pleaded guilty to the drug supply and gun possession charges earlier this month. Following the pleas, he provided references from two doctors, his sister and cousin, and Rusty Young, author of the cult book Marching Powder, describing his addiction and hopes for rehabilitation. He received an 18-month Community Corrections Order and was immediately sent to a residential rehab hospital for 90 days under strict conditions to undergo drug and alcohol testing after completion of the program.

Seyedabadi’s relatives described him as caring and kind, with the family hoping he can regain his footing and return to being a father. The case is part of a broader pattern of drug use and weapon imports that have drawn attention in Sydney’s courts.

References from the three family members and Young suggested the addiction crisis followed the fallout from his separation from Johnston. Young stated that with support and treatment, Seyedabadi could move forward. The court also noted that Seyedabadi had previously faced a separate weapons import conviction after a Border Security appearance in which customs officers described finding a range of weapons as souvenirs from Thailand. He was fined $6,000 on that occasion.