NSW Police officer convicted after links to alleged drug boss Mostafa Baluch were uncovered

A police officer who was an associate of alleged drug kingpin Mostafa Baluch was convicted for misusing the force’s internal systems to share confidential information with criminals, friends and family.

A police officer who was an associate of alleged drug kingpin Mostafa Baluch was convicted for misusing the force’s internal systems to share confidential information with criminals, friends and family.

James Perry has no record of his time in the NSW Police Force on his LinkedIn page, rather just mentions of his time as a real estate agent and then as an adviser for online businesses.

It is little wonder considering the disgrace his career as a cop ended in.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Perry’s downfall and how the 36-year-old first came to the attention of his counterparts in the State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad when they launched an investigation into Mostafa Baluch, only to notice the Constable from Chatswood Police Station was among his regular associates.

Baluch is best known for being caught in a shipping container at the Queensland border as he attempted to flee while awaiting trial on a 900kg cocaine import charge.

NSW Police officer Constable James Perry left the force after being charged for accessing restricted information. Picture: Supplied

He resigned in 2021 and has since moved into real estate and become an online business adviser. Picture: Supplied

The NSW District Court heard last year Constable Perry’s links to Baluch included on occasions driving the alleged drug trafficker’s $250,000 Bentley around Sydney.

But while it was his links to Baluch and convicted drug supplier Thomas Towhidi that brought him to the attention of police, it was the abuse of his access to search warrants, fact sheets and private information, which he then passed on to others, that ended his career as a cop, the court also heard.

Constable Perry first popped up onto the radar of detectives surveilling Baluch in 2021 because he ran a business importing towels with Baluch’s friend, Towhidi.

Detectives watched on one occasion as Constable Perry and Towhidi drove to a storage unit in Parramatta, where a short time later they were joined by Baluch and other associates.

It was an investigation into alleged drug kingpin Mostafa Baluch that led to police uncovering the misconduct of Constable Perry. Picture: Richard Dobson

They later worked out that Constable Perry was in the middle of a shift when this meeting occurred, and following it returned to Chatswood Police Station to complete his rostered work.

“During the investigation the offender (Constable Perry) was observed on numerous occasions to be absent from work without permission” and driving associates in police vehicles, which is a blatant breach of policy.

Constable Perry was so close to Baluch he not only drove his car but had him saved in his phone as “Maus” - the nickname/code name to which the alleged drug boss was referred to, a District Court fact sheet states.

Baluch was arrested after allegedly being found inside a car, in a shipping container, on the back of a truck at the Queensland border after weeks on the run. Picture: NSW Police

Despite his links police never uncovered any evidence implicating Constable Perry in the importation of drugs, those same court documents state.

What they could track though was his use of internal police systems to access information he then passed on to others, such as information about a car crash involving the daughter of a friend, while other times he searched for addresses, phone numbers and RMS details of individuals.

Constable Perry was also discovered to have searched notable events such as when police were called to the Mosman home popstar Justin Bieber was renting and a Covid-19 breach by a millionaire businessman, but at no time gave a reason for accessing the information - as all police are required to do.

But far more serious were his efforts to access search warrants and court documents, such as a fact sheet relating to Baluch, which he was later found to have a photo of on his phone, the court documents state.

When his colleagues finally caught up with him in mid-2021, Constable Perry refused to give over the PIN code to access his mobile phone or take part in an interview, and was suspended from duty that day.

Constable Perry was initially charged with 12 offences – however a plea deal saw him admit guilt only to “holder of public office misconduct himself”, for which he received a 15-month suspended jail sentence, which expires on January 6 next year.

His resignation from the NSW Police Force was accepted in September 2021.