Life was looking pretty good for Mount Colah resident Wade Habkouk. He was the CEO and director of his own construction firm, a married father of an 18-month-old daughter living with his in-laws on Sydney’s rural northern fringe and a masters graduate of prestigious Sydney University.
But police allege that beyond his legitimate business interests, Wade and his brother Guy Habkouk were in cahoots to import 347 kilograms of heroin into Australia.
Wade Habkouk Habkouk has pleaded not guilty to attempting to import a commercial quantity of heroin.
Wade Habkouk was allegedly responsible for importing about 175 kilograms, but the enterprise fell apart when authorities became suspicious of two vertical construction mixers imported from Kuala Lumpur and launched Sydney’s biggest heroin bust in decades.
An X-ray when the machines arrived in Sydney two days before Christmas 2020 allegedly revealed two metal cases inside, each containing more than 100 kilograms of heroin.
The drug was removed by authorities and the mixers were then delivered to Habkouk’s Hornsby business in February 2021.
That day, Habkouk allegedly visited the unit with a suitcase full of counter-surveillance devices in an attempt to determine if authorities had been investigating the shipment.
Police allegedly observed Habkouk alone inside the unit twice, hearing the sounds of metal being cut.
“It is the Crown contention that the only reasonable inference available, in circumstances where the evidence, it says, would prove the applicant cut open a valuable piece of machinery, is that he was expecting to find what had originally been contained, that is, the heroin,” said Justice Hament Dhanji SC in the Supreme Court in February this year.
Six months after the heroin was allegedly detected, Habkouk was arrested and charged with one count of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
Habkouk has pleaded not guilty to attempting to import a commercial quantity of heroin, and remains before the courts.
He remained inside Silverwater Prison until February this year, when his in-laws stumped up a $1 million surety on their Mount Colah home to ensure his release. Other conditions of his bail included daily reporting to a police station, only leaving the home in the company of his wife, surrendering his passport, not using encrypted communications and not communicating with a number of different witnesses, including his brother Guy.
Guy Habkouk is “at the centre of arrangements with respect to that importation,” Justice Dhanji, SC, said.
Guy Habkouk is overseas, and police have yet to be able to interview him over his alleged role in the heroin ring.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Morgen Blunden said this was the largest seizure of heroin in Australia in almost two decades and if these drugs had not been intercepted, the impact on the community would have been devastating.
“Illicit drug use causes a significant burden to the Australian economy, through crime, loss of productivity, emergency treatment and increased health care costs,” Blunden said.
“Sadly heroin causes many deaths and this seizure has protected our community from harm. We will continue to work closely with our partners to prevent this harm from occurring.
“This is why our partnerships with state and Commonwealth agencies are so important to staying on the front foot when it comes to targeting transnational criminal syndicates and preventing illicit drugs from harming more Australians.”
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.