STRIFE OF THE PARTY
TV ad star accused of doing one line: It’s a witch hunt
A STRIPPER and d Ult Ultra T Tune TV ad d regular who recently starred alongside Pamela Anderson is among nine Gold Coasters – including her police officer ex-fiance – facing charges in a drug sting operation.
But lads magazine model Tyana Hansen (above), who is facing two charges of possession possession, believes she and heavily tattooed ex, senior-constable Zachary Samuel Maidment (inset), are the target of an over-thetop “witch hunt” because of what she does for a living and the way he looks.
Mr Maidment, one of two officers immediately suspended after the raids, faces a raft of charges including sup supplying dangerous drugs, possession and permitting the use of place after checking into The Star Gold Coast penthouse for his birthday party.
Ms Hansen, accused of doing a line of coc cocaine off another woman’s buttocks at the party, says: “The way they have w worded it and released it to the media as an alleged drug trafficking ring is completely false.
“And they have tried to make it more than what it is,” the 25-year-old says.
ULTRA TUNE TV ad girl Tyana Hansen - facing charges after allegedly snorting cocaine off another girl’s butt during a birthday party at The Star’s penthouse - is among nine people including Gold Coast cops arrested in a sting operation she has labelled an over-the-top “witch hunt”.
The buxom 25-year-old bikini model and stripper -- who stars in the ads with Charlie Sheen, Pamela Anderson and Mike Tyson and has graced lads mag covers of Playboy and Maxim - has not yet been required to enter a plea to her charges but says: “It has been a targeted witch-hunt and a lot of it has been unnecessary... the way they have worded it and released it to the media as an alleged drug trafficking ring is completely false.
“And they have tried to make it more than what it is.”
Hansen, with more than 55,000 followers in Instagram, claims the charges are a “storm in a tea cup” and she has been the subject of a “witch hunt” because of her bikie-busting cop-ex, adult industry job and public profile.
The striking blonde and her heavily-tattooed ex-fiancé, senior-constable Zachary Samuel Maidment, 28, are scheduled to face the Southport Magistrates Court for the first time on Monday.
They were among nine people arrested and charged following drug raids across the Gold Coast and Brisbane earlier this year.
Hansen, facing two charges of possession of dangerous drugs, says despite it being alleged that bugged Star penthouse footage captured her snorting a line of cocaine off another woman’s naked butt, she isn’t a criminal mastermind.
“I don’t have a criminal record, I don’t sell drugs, I pay my taxes, I go to work, I try and make a future for myself. I don’t like that my job has put me in a position where they think I am a certain way because that’s what I do ... in the same way that the way that he looks has,” she said.
“They’ve gone ‘stripper, tattoos, criminal, that’s that’. It’s a lot of discrimination towards the both of us. It was just a party, it was just a birthday party. Nothing happened, every-one was drinking, having fun, went to bed 4am-5am. They checked in 3-4 pm, I got there 8-9pm.”
Senior-constable Maidment has been suspended from duty at the Gold Coast’s Rapid Action Patrol (RAP) following the alleged offending earlier this year.
He has been charged with supplying dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs, possessing things, possessing suspected property and permitting the use of place after checking into the penthouse for his birthday party.
Hansen says she believes Maidment was discriminated against by the QPS because of his tattoos but they never “had any sort of impact on his job or his ability”.
Their arrests came after a four-month investigation dubbed Operation Sierra Edgehill into “alleged trafficking of dangerous drugs”.
The sting was undertaken by internal police watchdog Ethical Standards Command, as well as Organised Crime Gangs Group and the Gold Coast police.
Hansen said her and Maidment were high-school friends and later got engaged but split up two months before the party, where the group stayed at The Star penthouse at Broadbeach on July 27 this year.
She said her home was raided a number of months later by police, who were looking for drugs, but found none.
“I’m disappointed in the way the investigation has gone and how that could have been better spent elsewhere on something that was actually true and where they would be putting away real criminals rather than a big media theatrical case that they have tried to make out,” Hansen said.
“Like, I’m sure during the investigation they would have realised he (Maidment) wasn’t a drug trafficker. They would have realised he wasn’t selling intel. So I don’t understand why they would continue to gun for him.”
Hansen said Maidment is a good man, university-educated and would not associate with outlaw motorcycle gangs: “... he was very loudly against criminals and any sort of bikie gangs, would forbid me from associating with anyone he knew to be a criminal. Always. Didn’t sell drugs,” she said.
“I was respectful to an extent to his job and I wouldn’t do anything or go out of my way to do anything to jeopardise it.”
Another 29-year-old male senior constable from the central region, along with a former officer, were caught up in the raids and immediately suspended from duty.
Hansen and Maidment have not yet been required to enter pleas.
The RAP squad began in 2013, following the Broadbeach bikie brawl.
Officers from the elite bikie-busting squad starred on Channel 10’s reality TV show Gold Coast Cops which aired five years ago.
Maidment’s lawyer Ashkan Tai declined to comment.
THEY’VE GONE ‘STRIPPER, TATTOOS, CRIMINAL, THAT’S THAT’. IT’S A LOT OF DISCRIMINATION TOWARDS THE BOTH OF US. TYANA HANSEN