Julian Lee: Accused cocaine dealer granted bail after $1m surety posted
A man who police claim was caught “red handed” with nearly 1kg of cocaine in his car as part of a $65 million drug syndicate will be released from custody, with his mum’s $1 million home offered as leverage.
Central Sydney
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A man who police claim was caught “red handed” with nearly 1kg of cocaine in his car will be released from custody, with his mum’s $1 million home offered as leverage.
Fitness instructor Julian Lee was one of five people – including his wife - arrested on March 30 in a series of dramatic strikes across Sydney that allegedly netted more than 200kg of cocaine.
It will be alleged in court the drugs, the majority of which were discovered inside a wardrobe in Fairfield West, had a total street value of $65 million.
Lee was pulled over by police in his Range Rover at 4pm on James St, Leichhardt, allegedly accompanied only by a brown paper bag holding a brick of cocaine weighing about 1kg.
His wife Hoang Anh Le was arrested six hours later at their CBD apartment where police allegedly seized a loaded pistol and boxes of ammunition.
The Supreme Court heard on Tuesday the Lee’s initial charge of large commercial drug supply is set to be downgraded to commercial drug supply following further investigations.
Crown prosecutor David Laird said it would be alleged in court the 39-year-old was “middle management” in the syndicate busted by Strike Force Irwine, and was “part of the supply chain”.
“It’s a simple case of observation and surveillance and the execution of a search warrant,” he said.
“The elephant in the room is it has to be a plea of guilty (at some stage) … he was caught red handed with it.”
Defence lawyer Avni Djemal argued Lee had no criminal history and that his involvement in the alleged syndicate was brief.
“This man was not known, in a long-running investigation, to have ever popped up,” he said.
“People high in the chain don’t physically handle the cocaine.”
Mr Djemal said Lee would only leave his mother’s Winston Hills home to work as a waiter at the family’s North Parramatta restaurant, Canton House.
The home’s title deed has been posted as surety to ensure Lee abides by strict bail conditions.
Justice Elizabeth Fullerton accepted the fact Lee had not been picked up earlier in the police investigation suggested he played a lesser role and possessed the cocaine for a “very short” period.
She ordered he report daily to Castle Hill police station while on bail.
Wife Le, also 39, was charged with possess unauthorised pistol and four counts of possess ammunition without holding licence/permit/authority.
She was released on bail after her sister posted $50,000 surety on March 31.
Three other men, Huu Quyen Andrew Do, Hieu Minh Nguyen and alleged kingpin Huan Chu were also arrested on March 30 and charged with offences including large commercial drug supply and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Lee will return to court on June 25.