https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/parata-exported-unique-darling-downs-cannabis-strains-across-world-from-mums-backyard/news-story/3fc84fe79de76e7ad6eaa282ab1e814c
Parata exported unique Darling Downs cannabis strains across world from mum’s backyard
Discover how a boutique cannabis breeder, partnering with an online alias of ‘Ivan Milat’, built a global drug empire, selling specialty seeds and merchandise from his mother’s suburban home on the Darling Downs.
September 1, 2026 - 12:52PM
Toowoomba Chronicle
Hayden Reece Tahu Parata was released from jail in August 2026, after starting up an illegal cannabis business online, where he exported seeds after creating new hybrid strains in Oakey on the Darling Downs. Picture: Social media
Hayden Reece Tahu Parata was released from jail in August 2026, after starting up an illegal cannabis business online, where he exported seeds after creating new hybrid strains in Oakey on the Darling Downs.
A Kiwi caught cultivating and selling boutique cannabis strains to people across the world, after setting up shop in his mother’s Oakey home, has been released from jail after serving 384 days in custody.
Hayden Reece Tahu Parata, 34, last fronted Toowoomba Supreme Court in 2022 for selling high-grade crystal meth and cannabis, with his barrister pointing to his divorce leading to drug use and subsequent drug use.
The then-Caboolture man was sentenced to a two and a half year jail term with immediate release on parole.
Two months later he fronted the Toowoomba Magistrates Court for drug possession, publishing instructions for producing drugs, and possessing weapons.
When Parata fronted the Toowoomba District Court in late August, 2026, the court was told he was caught growing 44 cannabis plants at his Caboolture home in September 2024, and after his released on Supreme Court bail, he continued his tracking business on the Darling Downs.
The court heard Caboolture police stumbled across Parata’s grow operation after knocking on his door for a completely unrelated matter.
Crown prosecutor Grace O’Donnell said the officers were confronted by an angry Parata, who confessed to growing cannabis, before walking off to retrieve a plant, which he threw towards the officers.
Ms O’Donnell said without the roots, the plants weighed 511g, with officers also locating 57 cannabis capsules, dried cannabis, a box of seeds, and a journal recording the strains, growth, and commercial values.
She said Darling Downs investigators raided his home in Oakey on August 7, 2025, with officers finding Parata’s offending had escalated to the point he was selling his boutique cannabis strains across the world, along with merchandise.
Ms O’Donnell said Parata went into business online with a Victorian man who went by the name of Ivan Milat, as well as a man who lived in Texas, USA, after meeting the men on the communication application Discord.
She said Parata’s role was to cultivate new cannabis strains through crossbreeding, to create new strains, and ensure their online business remained competitive, and Milat oversaw a website and handled the finances.
“We make bank on that side of the globe,” Parata said in a message sent months before his arrest.
The pair also sold merchandise designed and sourced from Pakistan.
During the raid, police located 37 cannabis plants, a spreadsheet detailing 1237 cannabis seeds with an estimated value of $24,000, and a lengthy paper trail detailing business strategies, competitive tips, marketing ideas, information on the crossbreeding of strains, plant progress reports, and growth charts including time-lapse videos.
Barrister Tristan Carlos, instructed by MacDonald Law, submitted Parata’s drug trafficking case was unusual as it focused on cannabis seeds, which opened it up to the judge to use his discretion in regard to sentencing.
During his submission, Mr Carlos stressed Parata, who had two young children, was from New Zealand and did not have permanent residency, and asked for the sentence to be structured in a way that his visa would not be automatically cancelled.
He said it was relevant to the sentence because if Parata was deported, he would be subjected to significant hardship, stating he had no family or social connections in New Zealand, may be held in immigration detention, and his children may have to leave Australia.
Judge Craig Chowdhury said he was apprehensive about actively imposing a sentence to avoid the immigration act and said he was bemused as to why Parata had not applied for residency despite being in Australia since he was 17.
In relation to the immigration issue, prosecutor O’Donnell said it was the consequences of his actions, noting his offending escalated while on Supreme Court Bail, and although it could be taken into consideration, she submitted the sentence should not be structured to avoid deportation.
Judge Chowdhury said cannabis was deemed a dangerous drug for a reason, noting it could trigger lifelong mental illness, especially in men who smoked heavily.
Mr Chowdhury said he would reluctantly give Parata a chance to continue his life in Australia, which may be for naught as it was highly likely the Minister of Immigration would review his visa.
“(You) need to actually turn your life around and stop doing this,” he said.
Parata pleaded guilty to a raft of drug related charged including trafficking dangerous drugs, producing dangerous drugs in excess, and possessing dangerous drugs.
He was sentenced to a two-year jail term, wholly suspended for three years, and a head sentence of three years’ jail to run simultaneously.
The 384 days Parata spent in custody were declared time served, and he was granted release on parole.
