Goulburn Valley retreat owner caught in 2kg cocaine trafficking sting: How a spiralling drug habit plunged one of Victoria’s oldest farming families into ‘devastation’

A veteran high-end tourism operator from one of Victoria’s oldest farming families has been caught trafficking cocaine in a police sting. 

Anthony ‘Tony’ Hammond, 57, fronted the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of cocaine.

Hammond, who owns a luxury waterfront retreat in Nagambie, was snared after the Clandestine Laboratory Squad ran a covert investigation targeting ‘individuals’, including Hammond’s co-accused Matthew D’Aloia.

The court heard police tracked D’Aloia through phone intercepts and established Hammond ‘received the individual orders’ and then ‘delegated tasks to D’Aloia to carry out’.

Police intercepted a phone call on March 25 last year in which Hammond told D’Aloia that he had ‘an order’ and ‘had someone dropping a brochure for it today’.

The prosecution alleged a ‘brochure’ was code for a sample of cocaine. 

In another intercepted phone call that same day, Hammond told D’Aloia to ‘get a brochure ready for tomorrow’ and told him he would let him know ‘when to drop it off in his letterbox’.

On 30 March, police surveillance officers saw D’Aloia and Hammond meet near Hammond’s Port Melbourne home and walk along Lyons Street.

At 6.42pm, a covert listening device in D’Aloia’s car recorded Hammond telling his co-accused, ‘sure two o’clock and I don’t give a f*** about the other guy.’

Prosecutor Jordan O’Toole said this referred to plans for the following day.

Just before midday on March 31, D’Aloia was allegedly seen leaving his Brighton home on a bicycle with two backpacks.

At about 1pm, CCTV captured D’Aloia near Hammond’s Port Melbourne address with the backpacks, one allegedly containing 2kg of cocaine.

Shortly after, Hammond was seen putting the cocaine-filled backpack in his car and driving to Glenferrie Road in Malvern.

Covert police watched as Hammond entered a Malvern apartment complex with the bag, which appeared full, and left about nine minutes later with the same bag now empty.

Prosecutors allege Hammond, who left his phone at home during the trip, delivered the cocaine to another co-offender, Nicholas Swallow.

Covert police tracked Swallow as he left the apartment complex about a minute later, pulling him over on nearby Kooyong Road and seizing a backpack containing two compressed bricks of cocaine weighing a combined 2kg.

Police then observed D’Aloia returning to his Brighton home with only one backpack, while Hammond was arrested near his Port Melbourne home about 3.20pm.

Hammond, who pleaded guilty to negligently dealing with the proceeds of crime, was found with $12,796, which the prosecution alleges came from cocaine sales.

Despite the 2kg cocaine seizure, neither Hammond nor Swallow faced a large commercial quantity charge, as police could only prove both men knew they possessed 500g of mixed substances.

Defence barrister Dermot Dann KC told the court at the start of Hammond’s plea hearing that he was awaiting a jury verdict in another high-profile case.

Less than 10 minutes into the hearing, while the prosecutor was outlining Hammond’s offences, Mr Dann had to leave because the verdict was in.

About 20 minutes later, Mr Dann was in another court where his well-known client – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

Hammond’s cocaine trafficking plea was temporarily stood down until Mr Dann could return.

Prosecutor O’Toole told the court it could infer that Hammond ‘played a role where he would receive the order’.

‘He delegated and instructed various tasks to Mr D’Aloia but he was involved in the possession of the two kilograms of cocaine… before it was moved into the possession of Mr Swallow,’ Mr O’Toole said.

‘Attaching a label such as “courier” would not be accurate because he’s playing a more involved role, where he’s receiving an order – that’s not what a courier would traditionally do… I will submit it has an aspect of commerciality about it.’

Mr Dann told the court that Hammond was ‘in the middle’ of a drug deal on a ‘single day’ and objected to the term ‘delegate’.

The court heard that Hammond’s family had been farming in the Goulburn Valley region since the gold rush.

Hammond’s father was a long-term volunteer firefighter and a Lions Club member for more than 50 years, and Mr Dann said those traits of helping the community were passed down to his son.  

Mr Dann said the ‘very high-achieving’ family even has a street named after them.

The family sold their farm about 20 years ago, which ‘changed the direction of Hammond’s life’.

The court heard Hammond was also a talented footballer, athlete and master of water sports.

Hammond also worked at a US summer camp for a year teaching water sports, then worked at Lindeman Island in the Whitsundays, where he was the ‘activities man’. 

Hammond returned to Melbourne and began working in promotions and event management in the entertainment and nightclub industry.

Mr Dann said he established the Red Scooter function centre in Balaclava, which he ran successfully for 25 years.

About 25 years ago, Hammond met his partner Nedra Kriekenbeek, and the couple moved to Nagambie, where he operated the Jetty Complex.

He later built the lavish waterfront Hide & Seek Retreat from the ground up, turning it into a major tourist destination offering water sports, premium accommodation and a range of activities.

He and Nedra, who have children, ran the popular destination for many years, the court heard.

‘Of course, with his current predicament, the future has become very, very clouded in respect of being able to keep that business going,’ Mr Dann told the court.

Mr Dann said winter was the least busy time for Hammond to be away from the retreat, but when there, he ‘does everything’.

‘Teaches the water-skiing, does all the boating activities, does hospitality, does all the maintenance around the property, he’s working 24 hours,’ Mr Dann said.

‘That’s been his passion, that’s been his career, that’s been his lifestyle, so it’s all encompassing, with him gone the situation is fraught.’

Hammond has called on friends to help the business survive the ‘period of time he’s going to be in custody’.

Nedra, present in court, now works full-time at the retreat. She was among several supporters who wrote references, describing Hammond as a devoted father.

His children, parents, sisters and family friends packed the courtroom in support, and blew kisses to Hammond and waved at the end of the hearing. 

The court heard the Port Melbourne property was a secondary address where Hammond stayed ‘from time to time’.

Mr Dann also said Hammond’s drug use worsened over the years, leading to ‘the terrible decision which has exposed his family to complete, well, potential, devastation’.

Many references described Hammond as someone known in the Nagambie and Goulburn Valley regions for helping others and performing maintenance without seeking payment.

In her letter to the court, Nedra also acknowledged the harm her husband’s offending had caused the community.

References stated Hammond has suffered ‘shame’ and ‘reputational damage’. He was remanded to face court at a later date.

Swallow, of Malvern, has pleaded guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of cocaine and will face a pre-sentence hearing.

D’Aloia is set to face trial in February.