Grant Michael Richardson,( above photo) head chef at an Sydney's Balcony Bar at Erskine St, (photo below) is accused of selling bags of speed and ecstasy from his kitchen as part of a multimillion-dollar drug syndicate.
What busy kitchen, serving up $34 plates of pork belly braised in orange, soy and cinnamon and and at the same time, chef Grant Michael Richardson was preparing bags of ecstasy and speed to his drug runner.
The 31-year-old chef catered for several celebrity-studded social events during his year at Balcony Bar, which was opened under Clover Moore's small bar program with an $18,300 grant.
But police say Richardson was supplementing his $1000-a-week income by selling drugs in a "top of the tree" drug syndicate.
Ah, but they were being watched.
The accused drug runner Paul "Robbo" Robinson, 42, picked up the drugs from the kitchen and of all things, surprise, surprise, delivers them to an undercover officer on four different occasions.
The accused drug runner Paul "Robbo" Robinson, 42, picked up the drugs from the kitchen and of all things, surprise, surprise, delivers them to an undercover officer on four different occasions.
Police also tapped Richardson and Robinson's phone calls when they heard them talking in code about being concerned about the quality of the drugs they were supplying to the undercover officer.
"I've had three people say that they weren't that happy with the food," Robinson was recorded saying.
"I just had another one then ring and tell me that ... he didn't taste anything all night," he said.
A police fact sheet said that Robinson also told Richardson "he was worried that he didn't want to lose the 'booking' of the 'corporate group' ", referring to the officer.
Click photo to enlarge
Court documents reveal that police infiltrated Richardson's part of the syndicate after an undercover officer befriended an alleged drug runner.
In three months, the group allegedly sold $20,000 worth of speed and ecstasy pills to the officer who was wearing a microphone.
Richardsonhas been being charged with 12 drug-related offences.
In total, 30 people were arrested by Strike Force Domino, which saw 500 officers raid 37 premises in Sydney, Mudgee and the Central Coast in December.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the arrests had cracked the kingpins of the State's drug trade.
