Susan Alameddine arrested over alleged Nowra jail contraband trafficking
Susan Alameddine was motivated to support her inmate brother when she allegedly gave a prison guard drugs and a mobile phone to smuggle into jail.
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A mother-of-two has faced court after allegedly paying a prison guard $5000 to smuggle drugs hidden inside balloons into jail on behalf of her incarcerated brother.
Susan Alameddine allegedly met Nowra prison officer Stephen Adams in Vincentia on the South Coast last week.
Unbeknown to her, police were about to swoop after listening to her brother’s phone calls from inside the South Coast Correctional Centre.
Last Wednesday, Ms Alameddine and her brother, Ahmed, spoke on the phone and made reference to the colours “blue and yellow”.
Ms Alameddine allegedly asked Ahmed if he wanted her to “pack yours blue”.
Ahmed allegedly told Ms Alameddine to “make sure you call him today, make sure you take to him today please,” according to a police statement of facts.
Ms Alameddine and her father then drove to Vincentia and met Adams about 5pm.
According to the police allegations, Ms Alameddine provided Adams with three yellow balloons, three blue balloons, one red balloon, two mobile phones, including one with a SIM card attached to it.
The following day, Adams allegedly stuck the small mobile phone and charger between his buttock cheeks and walked into Nowra jail.
He left it on a bench in the hygiene workshop and another inmate collected it, the facts outline.
Adams was arrested hours later.
When police searched his home they allegedly found a wide array of colourful balloons filled with drugs, including 135 grams of ice and four grams of heroin.
The Corrective Services officer, who was charged with misconduct offences and is due to front court, allegedly told police he took the contraband into jail for monetary reward.
On Friday, police then arrested Ms Alameddine and charged her with nine offences, including drug supply, breaching COVID-19 restrictions and corruptly offering money to a prison officer.
Lawyer Fadi Abbas told Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday it was also not clear the specific drugs found in Adams’ home were associated with his client.
“What it looks like is the motivation is to support her brother,” he said.
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“We say it is a one off, a lapse of judgment and a stupid decision by her.”
However, Magistrate Sharon Freund denied bail after stating Ms Alameddine was already subject to a community corrections order for another offence.
“She finds herself before this court in relation to very serious offences of drug supply within the justice system, the corrective services system,” she said.
Ms Alameddine sobbed and held her head in her hands as bail was refused.
The case was adjourned to April 22.