The mother of a former university worker who prosecutors claim used his position to help run drugs says her son was a good boy until he started mixing with some of his "bad boy" cousins.
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Bilal Badr-Eddeen Omari, who used to work at the Australian National University, is facing jail time for trafficking cocaine and his involvement in a drug syndicate that imported about 2.2 kilograms of MDMA.
Court documents said the party drugs arrived in two consignments to Australia - one was intercepted by the country's border force in Sydney, and the other was picked up by police at a DHL facility in Fyshwick. The DHL package was addressed to a person at the Australian National University who was not a student at the campus or a member of staff.
Prosecutor Tom Jones on Tuesday said Omari, in his position at the university's College of Business and Economics, had "plausible deniability" if somebody suspected him of wrongdoing and stopped him walking around campus.
The court documents said police raided Omari's work on December 5, 2017. When officers told him they had a search warrant for his Jeep - which was on campus at the time - he called his girlfriend.
She then called Omari's cousin, Youssef Jabal, and told him: "Break it, Youssef. Something. Like, he's got everything in his car." In Jabal's matter, the court has heard the builder directed his younger brother, Adam, to smash the back window of the Jeep before police approached the car.
"The choice of the [university] campus [as a destination for drugs] was deliberately taken and it was a critical component of the hope for success of the criminal enterprise," Mr Jones said on Tuesday.
Youssef Jabal will be sentenced in August for being knowingly concerned with cocaine trafficking.
The court on Tuesday heard from Omari's mother, who described her son as a "very, very good boy" who'd studied and worked hard before she felt something was wrong in 2016.
The woman said Omari had started mixing with his cousins Youssef and Adam Jabal too much around that time.
"I heard a lot about them," she said.
"They are not good boys. They are very bad boys.
"He was not listening [from then on]."
The woman said she couldn't believe it when police raided her home on December 5, 2017 and she found out Omari was accused of criminal activity.
She said after Omari came home from the police station, she and her husband were very angry.
"I grabbed him and I slapped him," the woman said.
"I said, 'we work so hard to raise you', and he started crying. He went to his room."
The woman said she didn't leave the house for weeks afterwards out of shame, and Omari told her he didn't know things were "that serious".
She said the family stopped talking to the Jabals, and Omari had changed dramatically since; he was now a helpful, good boy who stood by his family.
Mr Jones argued Omari should be sentenced to a term of full-time imprisonment for his crimes. He said Omari was trusted to communicate between Jabal and ACT prisoner Emin Yavuz, who was due to be sentenced for his involvement in the MDMA drug syndicate this Friday.
But barrister AJ Karim argued Omari should instead be sentenced to an intensive correction order, which is a jail sentenced served in the community.
Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson ordered that Omari be assessed for one. His case returns to court in November, when he will be sentenced.
Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
