A messy ‘love square’ has erupted between some of Australia’s most glamorous criminals after a drug-dealing beauty therapist’s fiancé hooked up with one of her law-abiding friends while she was behind bars.
Lash’s technician, Chloe Victoria Smith, 30, is currently serving eight months in jail after being locked up for her role in her ex-partner Reece Luscombe’s major methamphetamine trafficking ring, which operated in Queensland between 2019 and 2020.
But after leaving Luscombe while in prison, Smith now finds herself in a similar position after her new bad boyfriend, serial offender Wade Amey, 34, dumped her for her close friend and former colleague Caity Phelan, from 25 years.
The drama first unfolded when Smith and Luscombe, 33, were arrested in March 2020 over their ice trafficking ring, which was connected to the Finks motorcycle gang and stretched from the Gold Coast to Cairns.
The couple had previously lived an affluent lifestyle in Mackay, central Queensland, while driving luxury vehicles and wearing designer items.
Chloe Victoria Smith, 30, (pictured) is currently serving an eight-month non-parole prison term for her role in a major drug trafficking network linked to the Finks motorcycle gang.
His former partner Reece William Luscombe, 33, (pictured) ran the drug ring supplying methamphetamine across Queensland.
Smith left Luscombe to begin a whirlwind romance with serial offender Wade Amey (pictured)
Amey has now left Smith to start dating her friend Caity Phelan (pictured), who is the only one of the four without a criminal record.
When Operation Romeo Suitcase detectives swooped on his home, officers seized a Maserati, $108,620 in cash, guns and 185.932 grams of pure methamphetamine with a street value of up to $44,000.
Although Luscombe remained in custody and Smith granted bail, the couple initially remained together for several months as their matters progressed through the courts.
However, cracks soon began to emerge after Smith was arrested for breaching her bail conditions while spending time with Mackay’s self-proclaimed “hottest criminal”, 24-year-old Liam Dunworth.
The couple was found together in a locked room during a police raid in April 2021 and charged with possession of ice and cash from drug sales, offenses that would later lead to a prison sentence.
The brief romance ran out of steam and Daily Mail Australia understands Smith returned to Luscombe before the couple split in mid-to-late 2022.
But just a few months after their breakup, Smith entered into a relationship with Woodford Correctional Center inmate Wade Richard Amey, who has an extensive record for several crimes, including drug possession, weapons possession and assault.
In a since-deleted post, Smith revealed that the couple met in early 2023 while she was trying to hook him up with her roommate.
Smith and Luscombe appear together in happier times
Smith likes convicted criminals, having dated three different inmates in the last three years.
Smith shared the above image of Amey on her Instagram in July, writing, “I waited so long for you to finally come home baby, it won’t be long until we’re together.” I love you so much’
“I was trying to get him to talk to her and she didn’t want a word,” he said.
“I felt bad and decided to talk to him on the phone because I didn’t want to be rude.”
The relationship progressed quickly and Smith announced the couple’s engagement weeks later in February.
Just a few weeks after that, she shared a gushing post with her more than 16,000 TikTok followers, showing off her video call to Amey in prison.
“Say what you want, but this man is my soulmate and we were made for each other,” she wrote.
“I love you so much and I can’t wait to be by your side for the rest of my life.”
Amey, a New Zealand citizen, was released from prison late last year and deported back to his country, while Smith was sentenced in September by the drug ring to three years in prison to be released on parole after serving eight months.
But while Smith remained by Amey’s side while she was in prison, she didn’t receive the same treatment in return: Smith’s friend Bella Agius revealed this week that the New Zealander had jumped ship.
On a Facebook page dedicated to finding pen pals for Australian inmates, Agius said Smith was looking for companionship while serving her sentence at the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre.
Smith shared a gushing post in March 2023 about her budding relationship with Wade Richard Amey.
The former couple announced their engagement on Facebook last February.
When a social media user asked what happened to Smith and Amey, Agius responded: ‘A sneaky ‘friend’ of his is with him now. That’s why (they’re no longer together).’
A source familiar with the situation told Daily Mail Australia that Amey had started dating Smith’s friend Caity Phelan, another beauty therapist who has no criminal record, two weeks ago.
The source said Smith had supported Amey during his incarceration and had taken Phelan into his home and given him work in his eyelash business when he was going through a rough patch.
But Phelan said there was more to the story.
“Chloe did a lot for me, yeah, and I’ll never stop acknowledging that because that’s not the kind of person I am,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘(But) there are also a lot of things Chloe did to me that the whole world doesn’t need to know… and sometimes the bad overrides the good.
“Wade and I originally talked from the beginning, so technically no, I didn’t choose Chloe’s partner, he was from the beginning trying to find something with me.
“By the way, I have no ill intentions towards Chloe, but I don’t think I can say the same for her.”
Earlier this week, Smith’s Instagram bio showed Amey’s username next to a black heart emoji.
Interestingly, Phelan’s Instagram bio also includes Amey’s username, albeit for a second Instagram account, along with a heart emoji.
Phelan (pictured) says Amey had desired her all along despite her brief romance with Smith.
Amey (pictured) has an extensive track record spanning more than a decade.
On Tuesday, Smith’s bio was updated, removing Amey’s username and replacing it with the word “single.”
Smith’s downward spiral into the world of bad guys appears to have begun after she became swept up in Luscombe’s nefarious enterprise.
Luscombe, father of Smith’s third and youngest child, ran the syndicate, storing drugs and money in his home and occasionally allowing other members of the ring to facilitate some of the ring’s business.
During his sentencing hearing in March 2022, the court heard Luscombe boast about the violent and assertive tactics he used while presiding over the drug ring.
They included claiming ownership of the Maserati as payment for a drug debt and telling Smith that he “beat up” a woman who owed him money, taking jewelry and her car.
Luscombe was sentenced to nine years in prison for a series of offences, including trafficking, aggravated possession of drugs and possession of cash and weapons.
He was released on parole around October last year.
Caity is pictured with her ex Dayne, who was jailed while the couple were dating.
Smith, who facilitated some of the ring’s drug deals, pleaded guilty to a dozen charges including trafficking, aggravated possession of drugs, supplying dangerous drugs and possession of dangerous drugs and property obtained from drug trafficking.
The mother of three was sentenced in September to three years in prison, but will be released on parole in May 2024 after serving just eight months.
Like Smith, Phelan also has a penchant for criminals.
In September 2022, the mother of two spoke to the media about how her ex-partner Dayne had gone to prison, but despite being 700 kilometers apart, their relationship had grown stronger.
Just a month later, he shared a video on TikTok expressing his attraction to “heavily tattooed men with criminal records.”
Despite initially supporting Dayne, the couple appear to have split at some point in the last 12 months before Amey courted Phelan.
When contacted to comment on his new relationship, Amey did not have much to say: only insults and threats directed at the journalist.
‘How is this? Get a life and find something better to do, you fucking loser,” she said.
‘Stop writing about me or you’ll be the next Daily Mail headline!’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Smith for comment.