3 February, 2015. 13:45

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

BRAD McKinley earns $900,000 a year. He drives an Audi and eats at high-class restaurants every night of the week. He plans to semi-retire by July.

He’s not an executive or a CEO.

Not a barrister, surgeon or an engineer.

Mr McKinley, 24, imports and distributes cocaine – one of Australia’s fastest growing industries.

His career in the illicit drug trade started when he was just 16.

“My cousin Hazim asked me if I wanted to earn a bit of money over summer,” Mr McKinley said.

“All I had to do was deliver “bags” to people and collect the money,”

“He said I’d be a good dealer so he cut me into his business,”

Three months later, Mr McKinley was buying commercial quantities of the banned substance – which he began cutting with glucose and speed to maximise his profits.

At the end of 2012, he graduated high school and planned to study journalism at university.

“I was looking down the barrel of a life living paycheque to paycheque,”

“My parents were disappointed when they discovered I was living in a Newtown share-house with a group of underachievers, I used to be quite a slob”

Within six months, he dropped out of his journalism studies at Sydney University to focus on building his narcotics empire.

“I knew I was on to something,”

“Every party I’d go to, the law students would get a little “pissy” and before I knew it, they’d be on the phone ‘sorting out some bags’,”

“The money they were paying was ridiculous,”

Last year, Mr McKinley was able to import, cut and distribute over half a tonne of Class-A Medellín cocaine – which netted him gross sales of over $14.64m. He attributes his success to hard work, a passion for helping people and always putting the business first.

He said it was a happy moment when he was finally able to move away from Newtown and back to Darling Point, where he purchased his first home.

“Of course, it’s not all profit. I’ve re-invested most of it,” he said.

“What I offer is a professional, boutique operation – delivery comes included but you can’t put a price on good, old-fashioned service,”

“It’s the little things like paying off the AFP and the wharfies that add up,”

With a leader like Mr McKinley, it’s not surprising his young street dealers are keen to follow in his footsteps.

After Mr McKinley’s amazing story was revealed by Sydney Confidential and went viral, he was quick to take to social media and thank the many people he has worked with.

“The success is not only mine,” he said on his Instagram account.

“My team are the most important part of my business,”

“They are my family and I would like to thank them all for making the business what it is today and I am glad to have them working with me and being in my life too.”