Cocaine? No it’s protein powder: Court told of ‘night from hell’

A BOOZY birthday bash quickly turned into “the night out from hell” for a young Coast man whose drunken antics saw him chased by police and get busted with cocaine.

A heavily intoxicated Jayden Dylan Marks was kicked out of El Camino Cantina on Cavill Ave just after 10pm on October 15, Southport Magistrates Court was told.

The 20-year-old started throwing punches at the venue’s security guards and had to be pulled from the fight by other people.

Marks was then seen chasing another man around a nearby garden bed before moving down Surfers Paradise Blvd, where he tried to start another fight with a different person.

Police called to the scene spotted the altercation, but Marks ran away before he could be spoken with.

Marks took flight again when police caught up with him at a nearby intersection, prompting one officer to give chase on his bicycle.

The court was told Marks was finally nabbed just outside White Rhino Bar and Eats and continued struggling with police, trying again to run away when they attempted to search the wallet in his pocket.

Officers were eventually able to access the wallet and found 0.4g of cocaine hidden inside.

Marks claimed at the time that it was protein powder, the court was told.

Duty lawyer Shelby Thompson said her client was “extremely embarrassed” to be before the court on drug charges again, and had moved out of home at 14 to escape his mother’s own heavy drug use.

She said Marks’ birthday celebrations with friends had quickly spiralled out of control that night and he was not the only one facing charges by the end of it.

“He has described it to me as ‘the night out from hell’ and it saw him spend his birthday night in the watch-house,” Ms Thompson said.

She also asked that Marks be spared a conviction as he had hopes of running his own business in the future.

Marks pleaded guilty to two counts each of obstructing police and committing a public nuisance offence, and one count of possessing dangerous drugs.

He was fined $1200 and no conviction was recorded.