Two New South Wales men jailed as $2.2m in tainted cash trucked from Sydney to Perth

Two men on a long-haul drive through SA have been jailed after police found three suspicious duffel bags in their truck.

Two men have been jailed after smuggling illegal cash through South Australia. Picture: iStock

Two men who drove three duffel bags containing more than $2m in tainted cash through South Australia have been jailed, with one released immediately from custody.

The second of the pair, his employer, is now eligible for parole.

On Wednesday, Andy Samuel, 30, and Rami Waleed Labeeb, 26, of New South Wales, appeared in the Adelaide District Court after earlier pleading guilty to money laundering.

The court heard that on June 15, 2023, SA police pulled over a white Izuzu truck driven by Labeeb in Port Augusta on its way from Perth to Sydney.

Both men were in the truck’s cabin, and said it was carrying furniture on behalf of a client.

During a search, officers located three black duffel bags sealed with locks.

Both men denied knowledge of the bags’ contents – which was $2.2m in vacuum-sealed cash bundles.

Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said during sentencing the men were not the owners of tainted cash, and were both expected to be paid up to $13,000 for the drive across the country.

Her Honour said despite not knowing the exact cash quantity in the truck, both men should have known it was “significant” due to the “vast distance” they had been asked to travel and the number of bags.

Judge Sutcliffe said the pair played a “crucial” part in a larger criminal enterprise.

The court heard the client had asked them to transport the money from Sydney to Perth, but upon arrival in Fremantle, were asked to return to Sydney with the cash.

Samuel, the owner of the removalist business, was facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail, while Labeeb faced up to four.

Judge Sutcliffe found both men, immigrants from Iraq, were genuinely remorseful and felt they had caused their families difficulty by no longer being able to provide financial and emotional support.

The court heard Samuel was also concerned he may face deportation because while he is a permanent resident of Australia, he is not a citizen.

Her Honour said Labeeb, due to his lack of education and emotional resources, was more likely to “go along” with Samuel.

Judge Sutcliffe sentenced Labeeb to seven months and 25 days in jail, backdated to his arrest in June 2023.

His sentence expired in February 2024 and he was released.

Samuel was sentenced to two years and three months in jail with a non-parole period of one year and one month.

With his sentence backdated to the day of his arrest, he is eligible to apply for parole now.