news, crime, Bilal Omari, Emin Yavuz, Peter Poulakis, Youssef Jabal, Adam Jabal
A university staffer turned drug runner should spend a lengthy period in jail rather than be let off with a community-based sentence, prosecutors say. Bilal Badr-Eddeen Omari fronted the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday, having previously admitted to trafficking cocaine and playing part in a drug syndicate that imported about 2.2 kilograms of MDMA. Police found the cocaine during a raid on Omari’s Jeep at his former workplace, the Australian National University, on December 5, 2017. The MDMA arrived in Australia in two consignments. One consignment, which was falsely labelled “paint”, was picked up by police at a DHL facility in Fyshwick. The mail service had dropped it off at the ANU, but it was not collected so they had to pick it up again. Court documents said the consignment contained about 452 grams of MDMA and was addressed to a non-existent person at the university. The second consignment, which was also bound for the ANU, contained about 1.7 kilograms of the party drug and was falsely labelled “camping pans”. The package was intercepted by border force officers at Sydney customs in November 2017. Omari pleaded guilty to importing a marketable quantity of MDMA over the first consignment, but his barrister AJ Karim on Tuesday reiterated that he denied any knowledge of the 1.7-kilogram consignment. Canberra prisoner Emin Yavuz, who was in September sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, directed the MDMA importations from behind bars. Mr Karim said the 1.7-kilogram consignment was posted to Australia on November 24, 2017. Prosecutor Tom Jones had pointed out that only four days later, on November 28, Omari told Yavuz he would have “very, very good news” to tell him when he visited the prisoner in jail. But Mr Karim said Omari’s words were actually that he “might” have good news, meaning he couldn’t have known the 1.7-kilogram consignment had been posted. Mr Karim said Yavuz repeatedly told co-offender Peter Poulakis to put pressure on Omari to take a more active role in the MDMA syndicate. Poulakis, a former cafe owner, was in September sentenced to a total six years in jail. “[Yavuz told Poulakis:] ‘You put [Omari] under the pump [and …] you puppet him’,” Mr Karim said. The barrister said Poulakis told Omari “it’s not a joke” to “get [his] priorities right”, given the first consignment was meant to be at the ANU when Omari was in Sydney with his girlfriend. READ MORE: Mr Karim said that proved that, although Omari did participate in the MDMA syndicate for financial gain, “he was pressured and there was an element of duress”. Mr Jones said Omari wasn’t some young and naive man when he took part in the drug ring. He said the former ANU staffer “had a good job”, so couldn’t have been motivated by financial desperation, and even though he’d been assessed for an intensive correction order, such a sentence would be “manifestly inadequate”. An intensive correction order is a jail sentence served in the community rather than behind bars. “Mr Omari’s active involvement went back some considerable way – really, to the start of the enterprise,” Mr Jones said. Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson said she would allow more time for the parties to make submissions ahead of her sentencing Omari. She adjourned his matter until December 16.
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Bilal Badr-Eddeen Omari, who is facing jail time for trafficking cocaine and his role in an MDMA syndicate. Picture: Facebook
A university staffer turned drug runner should spend a lengthy period in jail rather than be let off with a community-based sentence, prosecutors say.
Bilal Badr-Eddeen Omari fronted the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday, having previously admitted to trafficking cocaine and playing part in a drug syndicate that imported about 2.2 kilograms of MDMA.
Police found the cocaine during a raid on Omari’s Jeep at his former workplace, the Australian National University, on December 5, 2017.
The MDMA arrived in Australia in two consignments.
One consignment, which was falsely labelled “paint”, was picked up by police at a DHL facility in Fyshwick. The mail service had dropped it off at the ANU, but it was not collected so they had to pick it up again.
Court documents said the consignment contained about 452 grams of MDMA and was addressed to a non-existent person at the university.
The second consignment, which was also bound for the ANU, contained about 1.7 kilograms of the party drug and was falsely labelled “camping pans”.
The package was intercepted by border force officers at Sydney customs in November 2017.
Omari pleaded guilty to importing a marketable quantity of MDMA over the first consignment, but his barrister AJ Karim on Tuesday reiterated that he denied any knowledge of the 1.7-kilogram consignment.
Canberra prisoner Emin Yavuz, who was in September sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, directed the MDMA importations from behind bars.
Mr Karim said the 1.7-kilogram consignment was posted to Australia on November 24, 2017.
Prosecutor Tom Jones had pointed out that only four days later, on November 28, Omari told Yavuz he would have “very, very good news” to tell him when he visited the prisoner in jail.
But Mr Karim said Omari’s words were actually that he “might” have good news, meaning he couldn’t have known the 1.7-kilogram consignment had been posted.
Mr Karim said Yavuz repeatedly told co-offender Peter Poulakis to put pressure on Omari to take a more active role in the MDMA syndicate. Poulakis, a former cafe owner, was in September sentenced to a total six years in jail.
Former Canberra cafe owner Peter Poulakis. Picture: Jamila Toderas
“[Yavuz told Poulakis:] ‘You put [Omari] under the pump [and …] you puppet him’,” Mr Karim said.
The barrister said Poulakis told Omari “it’s not a joke” to “get [his] priorities right”, given the first consignment was meant to be at the ANU when Omari was in Sydney with his girlfriend.
Mr Karim said that proved that, although Omari did participate in the MDMA syndicate for financial gain, “he was pressured and there was an element of duress”.
Mr Jones said Omari wasn’t some young and naive man when he took part in the drug ring.
He said the former ANU staffer “had a good job”, so couldn’t have been motivated by financial desperation, and even though he’d been assessed for an intensive correction order, such a sentence would be “manifestly inadequate”.
An intensive correction order is a jail sentence served in the community rather than behind bars.
“Mr Omari’s active involvement went back some considerable way – really, to the start of the enterprise,” Mr Jones said.
Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson said she would allow more time for the parties to make submissions ahead of her sentencing Omari.
She adjourned his matter until December 16.
