Alleged ‘road captain’ of Comanchero bikies allegedly used Belconnen tattoo parlour to launder drug money

The alleged “road captain” of the Canberra Comanchero bikie gang used Lakeside Tattoo Parlour in Belconnen to launder money made from drug trafficking, according to police documents.

Cocaine seized during a search warrant of McCallum’s Gungahlin home in August 2018.

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The alleged “road captain” of the Canberra Comanchero bikie gang used a Belconnen tattoo parlour to launder the proceeds of drug trafficking, according to court documents.

Jirawat Marrotnok McCallum will remain behind bars after facing ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday on charges of money laundering and possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

The 31-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after breaching strict bail conditions stemming from an earlier charge of drug trafficking, which he is due to be sentenced over on July 15, according to police facts.

Police allege McCallum was using Lakeside Tattoo Parlour in Belconnen to launder money from drug trafficking.

Police launched an investigation after finding 405 grams of cocaine and $6540 in cash during a search of his Gungahlin home in August 2018, according to police facts tendered in court.

Police allege McCallum was “living beyond his means and declarable income” after police discovered he had bought and sold several vehicles including a $54,800 Nissan Navara truck and a $10,000 Harley Davidson.

This was at odds with his declared wages of just $15,163 in 2017 and 2018 and his business account having a negative balance, according to a police facts sheet.

“FM Building Services Pty Ltd is owned by Mohammed Nchouki, a recorded and convicted drug trafficker and member of the NOMADS Outlaw Motorcycle Gang,” the police facts sheet said.

Since August, 2018, McCallum has been receiving $700 a week in his bank account from Lakeside Tattoo Parlour in Belconnen despite him not being an employee or a tattoo artist.

Police allege McCallum is the “road captain” of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang.

The police facts sheet also state he did not have the declared income to provide the director of the parlour with $30,000.

They also state McCallum is the “Road Captain of the Canberra Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.

“Police allege that the tattoo parlour was a mechanism by OMCG to launder the proceeds of drug trafficking,” the facts said.

“Police allege that in receiving ongoing payments from that business, the Defendant was engaged in the continuous and ongoing course of conduct in laundering money and the proceeds of crime up until the date of his arrest.

“For the last three years, the defendant’s income and acquisition of property has exceeded his declared lawful income.”

Jirawat Marrotnok McCallum was arrested by members of the anti-bikie Taskforce Nemesis.

On Thursday, McCallum did not apply for bail in the ACT Magistrates Court and he was remanded in custody.

Later in the day at ACT Supreme Court, Prosecutor Anthony Williamson made an application for his bail over the drug offences to be revoked in light of the fresh money laundering charge and the breach of bail.

McCallum was arrested on Wednesday after breaching a curfew which required him to be at home between 9pm and 5.30am.

His lawyer argued that he was home with his pregnant partner but they were both asleep and that was the first time in 10 months that he had breached his strict bail conditions.

He argued he would still need to obtain bail on the new charge of money laundering to be set free from prison anyway.

Justice John Burns said the money laundering charge should be dealt with in the Magistrate’s Court in the first instance and then be referred to the Supreme Court at a later date if necessary.

McCallum is due to be sentenced over the alleged drug trafficking on July 15.