Police release fresh details into former SA Liberal leader David James Speirs’ drug supply offending

The former leader of the South Australian Liberal Party snorted cocaine through rolled up banknotes and held a Qantas card with ‘white powdery residue on it’, court documents reveal.

David James Speirs, 40, has pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine on two occasions in August last year, with the illicit late-night and early-morning “catch-ups” taking place with two younger men at his southern Adelaide home.

In a police summary of the case, seen by NewsWire, it is revealed Speirs supplied the drug to Peter Zubic and Andrew Sampson, both aged 28.

The trio met by chance at a cafe on Jetty Road in the beachside suburb of Brighton.

Speirs and Mr Zubic, who had known each other for some 15 years but had lost contact, then started chatting with each other through Instagram.

“The Instagram conversation of Zubic and Speirs between July 21, 2024 and August 2, 2024 did refer to the use of illicit substances, being cocaine and cannabis,” Mr Zubic’s witness statement, recorded in the summary, states.

“Zubic went to Speirs’ house on Friday, August 2, 2024, with Sampson … while at the home address of Speirs, Speirs produced a rock of cocaine, crushed it on the bench top in the kitchen and Speirs snorted it using a rolled-up note.

“Zubic and Sampson self-administered the cocaine, supplied by Speirs.

“Zubic told police, all persons self-administered a few lines of cocaine and when the cocaine available ran out, Speirs went to his bedroom and returned with more cocaine.”

After the binge, police state in the documents that the Instagram messaging continued between Mr Zubic and Speirs.

“Speirs made a comment to Zubic while reminiscing about their recent catch-up,” the document states.

“Speirs wrote to Zubic: “and to do it over some weed and coke made it even better.”’

As the chat continued, Mr Zubic revealed he had struggled with drug use in the past and Speirs expressed concern his provision of cocaine might have taken him “off the path”.

“The conversation on Instagram continues back and forth, while Zubic reflects on attending Narcotics Anonymous and at 2.52am on August 4, 2024, during the conversation Speirs messages Mr Zubic and states: ‘I was a bit worried what we did yesterday would’ve taken you off the path’,” the documents state.

“The conversation continues, referencing drugs, life and sexuality.”

The trio met again one week later at Speirs’ house about 5am and used coke and alcohol.

Speirs’ arrest and appearances in court followed the release of footage on September 9 that appeared to show him snorting a white powder substance at his home.

The supply charges Speirs has admitted to are separate from the reported image and footage published by The Adelaide Advertiser.

The police summary states police detectives attended Mr Sampson’s Plympton home on September 15 and asked him directly: “has David ever supplied you with drugs?”

Mr Sampson replied that he was in a position that he either lies or doesn’t answer ‘and then you pretty much know the answer’.

Mr Sampson gave up his phone to the police on October 22 and a forensic examination of the device corroborated Mr Zubic’s account.

In one message from 10.06pm on August 4, Speirs texted Sampson: “wasn’t sure if I should pull that bag out but Pete said you’d be fine.”

The document also reveals the police had received allegations of Speirs’ drug offending before September 9, with information coming to them of potential offending on August 12.

On September 13, the police obtained Mr Zubic’s phone from an Apple Store, where it was being repaired, and submitted it for “forensic extraction”.

That same day, Speirs left Australia for an 11-day holiday in Bali.

On September 26, the police identified Speirs returning to South Australia and stopping at his mother’s home in Berri.

Officers arrested Mr Speirs about 9.10pm that night as his mother slept “in the next room”.

He was taken to Berri police station, where the police took a DNA swab.

At 10.29pm, police from the anti-corruption division swooped on his Adelaide home to conduct a search.

“Police seized from the master bedroom – top desk drawer, a small plastic resealable bag containing a white powdery residue, a rolled-up $20 banknote, Qantas card with white powdery residue on it, rolled-up foreign currency, a rolled-up USD$1 banknote, rolled up $5 banknote, and a hand-rolled cigarette containing suspected cannabis,” the document states.

“In the second drawer, police seized an Apple laptop.

“In the fireplace in the main living area, police seized 5 small plastic resealable bags containing a white powdery residue and two rolled up $5 banknotes.”

This week, Mr Zubic told The Advertiser he believed he had been taken advantage of by Speirs as a recovering drug addict.

The case sent shockwaves through South Australian politics, with Premier Peter Malinauskas describing it as “all a bit breathtaking”.

The offending took place during the final days of Speirs’ period as opposition leader.

Speirs initially denied the veracity of the footage, claiming it was a “deep-fake”, and denied ever having used drugs.

But he pleaded guilty last month to the supply charges and fronted Adelaide Magistrates Court on April 11 for sentencing submissions.

Speirs sat quietly in the dock throughout proceedings, as Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton KC and defence lawyer William Mickan argued before Magistrate Brian Nitschke over an appropriate punishment.

Mr Mickan said his client had started using cocaine to “escape” the stresses of his high-level job as opposition leader to Mr Malinauskas.

Mr Mickan argued Speirs’ drug use and supply was “aberrant” behaviour not in keeping with his long record of community and public service and had mushroomed as a result of the mental health impacts from his job.

Speirs “experienced acute and immense stress as a result of becoming leader in the wake of the (2022) election loss,” Mr Mickan said, and he “felt extreme pressure to keep the (Liberal) party on track”.

“His mental health suffered. He didn’t have a means to deal with it appropriately,” he said.

Mr Mickan said Speirs used cocaine on several occasions as a “maladaptive coping mechanism”.

Mr Hinton asked Mr Nitschke to impose a conviction on Speirs, arguing his former position as a parliamentarian and former minister warranted stern denunciation from the courts.

“You cannot put yourself up for public office, accept public office, hold public office and then expect you will not be held to the standards that go with public office,” he said.

Mr Hinton said although Speirs’ offending was on the lower end of drug supply offending, he nonetheless had perpetuated drug trafficking.

Mr Mickan invited Mr Nitschke not to record a conviction against Speirs and consider instead a good behaviour bond.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a $50,000 fine or a 10-year jail term. Mr Nitschke will deliver his sentence on April 24.

Mr Speirs, who speaks with a Scottish accent and immigrated to Australia as a teenager, resigned from parliament in the wake of the video.