Story by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Read The Sydney Morning Herald’s full story here
THE IDYLLIC Byron Bay hinterland towns of Bangalow and Newrybar have long attracted Sydneysiders seeking an escape from the big smoke.
But now locals are in a flutter about apparently unrelated big-money investments and business operations in the area.
Names on the lips of locals include former king of the Cross, John Ibrahim, and his property developer friend, Bart Elias, as well as Gold Coast party boy and tobacco shop heir Travers Beynon, aka, the Candyman.
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The Herald has confirmed Pacific Blue Property Holdings, controlled by Mr Ibrahim’s financial controller Margaret Staltaro, paid $1.45 million for a macadamia nut farm on Hinterland Way, Newrybar last year.
As a stoush over a major $20 million-plus industrial development in Bangalow comes to a head before the NSW Government’s joint regional planning panel on Thursday, intrigue and suspicion have taken over.
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Amid reports about the Ibrahim family being the subject of drug and tobacco importation raids last week, word spread about interests linked to John Ibrahim having invested in the area.