How builder Tony Maaz was arrested over $79m worth of MDMA hidden in an excavator

A court has heard how an excavator landed a Sydney builder in a drug trial hole after police received a tip-off about $79 million worth of MDMA hidden inside.

When Sydney builder Tony Maaz tried to cut open an excavator that was ­allegedly hiding $79 million worth of MDMA, all that emerged was a series of ­problems, according to documents filed in court.

The first being that he couldn’t find where the drug shipment was hidden inside the machinery, police allege.

According to documents tendered at the Downing Centre Local Court, Maaz had the excavator allegedly delivered to a western Sydney property he was redeveloping into a block of residential units.

But according to allegations in the documents, Maaz soon expressed his frustration to his co-accused in the alleged drug smuggling operation, Raymond Lipovac, that the 448kg of drugs were not where “it should be located” and the instructions from the UK-based suppliers of the drugs were “not making sense”.

Builder Tony Maaz has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

But the biggest problem was that it will be alleged the Australian Federal Police had claimed to have found the drugs days earlier and were now watching the men.

The third emerged when Maaz allegedly directed Lipovac, 42, to contact the London-based suppliers for further instructions on how to find the drugs, leading to their arrest too.

The allegations emerged in the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday where, despite facing charges that, if proven, could see him jailed for life, Maaz was granted bail on almost 30 strict conditions, including a curfew.

Maaz’s lawyers Paul McGirr and Rob Candelori submitted to Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson his client’s businesses would collapse if he was kept behind bars, which would result in several people losing their jobs from several multimillion-dollar developments in Sydney.

“My client’s businesses interests mean he has strong community ties,” Maaz’s lawyer Paul McGirr said when contacted.

“And given the current situation with COVID-19 he is living in lockdown anyway, so better that he is at home on his own dollar rather than at her majesty’s pleasure.”

An X-ray showing the drugs allegedly concealed in an excavator. Picture: AFP

A police fact sheet tendered to the court said Maaz’s company was in the final stages of a major development in Five Dock and was about to start a residential unit block development in Blacktown.

It also said that Maaz allegedly took delivery of the excavator, which he bought for $288,000, when it was delivered to Kildare Rd, Blacktown, on May 7.

The digger had been shipped to Brisbane from Southampton in the UK on March 13.

Acting on a tip-off two days later, police cut through the boom and found 226 bags of MDMA that was 77 per cent pure, the document said.

Prosectors will now be required to prove that Maaz knew the drugs were in the excavator and that they were the reason he was cutting it open.

The 448kg of MDMA seized after being found inside an excavator. Picture: AFP

One of the five men arrested as part of the investigation.

Investigating police were watching on May 18 when Maaz arrived at the Blacktown site and used the excavator to dig a trench. He then put the piece of machinery in the trench before obstructing the view from the street with a large piece of fabric, the documents said.

But police allege Maaz and Lipovac couldn’t find the drugs when they allegedly cut open part of the machine with a drill and angle grinder.

Maaz allegedly directed Lipovac to “call them” to “find out where it is” and to take photos so “they can have a look at it“, the documents said.

The pair allegedly gave up and returned to the site on May 19 and 20 for a second unsuccessful attempt before a third try failed on May 21.

Police believed they had all they needed to start making arrests.

On June 15, National Crime Agency investigators in the UK arrested Stefan Ernst Baldauf, 60, and Joseph Brown, 53, at a London property and charged them with shipping the drugs to Australia.

Police allegedly found digital and physical evidence, including pictures of the digger at the Blacktown site, hand-drawn instructions of where the drugs were hidden and communications saying the shipment could not be found.

Maaz and Lipovac were arrested on December 9 and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

Maaz will next face court on March 30 while Lipovac is bail refused to appear in February.

Originally published as How builder Tony Maaz was arrested over $79m worth of MDMA hidden in an excavator