A respected father. A successful business. Everything to lose. I know Tony Hammond wasn’t a cocaine kingpin. This is the uncomfortable truth about Australia’s middle-class ‘coke dads’ turning a weekend habit into serious crime: AMANDA GOFF

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A respected father. A successful business. Everything to lose. I know Tony Hammond wasn’t a cocaine kingpin. This is the uncomfortable truth about Australia’s middle-class ‘coke dads’ turning a weekend habit into serious crime: AMANDA GOFF

Daily Mail · 2 hours ago

An opinion piece by Amanda Goff examines the case of Tony Hammond, a Melbourne father and business owner, whose conviction for cocaine trafficking is presented as emblematic of a wider trend among Australia's middle classes. The piece argues that Hammond was not a stereotypical "kingpin" but rather represents a growing number of professional, family-oriented men whose recreational weekend cocaine use has escalated into serious criminal offending, putting their reputations, businesses and families at risk.

The article uses Hammond's story to highlight what it describes as the uncomfortable reality behind Australia's so-called "coke dad" phenomenon, where casual drug habits among otherwise respectable, successful individuals can quietly develop into trafficking-level involvement. Full details of Hammond's specific case, including sentencing and legal outcomes, are not covered in the available text, but the piece frames his experience as a cautionary example of how normalised recreational cocaine use can carry far greater consequences than users may anticipate.

  • Melbourne father Tony Hammond convicted over cocaine trafficking, per opinion piece
  • Case used to illustrate rise of middle-class "coke dads" in Australia
  • Weekend recreational use can escalate into serious criminal offending

Americas World

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