Robert Melhem: Ex Manly Sea Eagles sponsor jailed for dealing drugs
Just a few short years ago he was a wealthy businessman rubbing shoulders with the great and good of the NRL. But Robert Melhem will not be tasting freedom any time soon after being sentenced for his part in a major drug syndicate.
Central Sydney
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A former high profile businessman looked to his wife and exclaimed “Love youse” as he was led down to the cells after being sentenced for being part of a major drug operation.
Robert “Robbie” Melhem, the one-time Manly Sea Eagles sponsor, was jailed for ten years, with six years and three months non-parole, at the Downing Centre District Court on Friday.
“I’ll call youse later,” he added as he was led away.
Melhem was charged with three counts of supplying large commercial quantities of drugs including 2987.7g of cocaine, 4976g of ephedrine and 5kg of pseudoephedrine, which he later pleaded guilty to.
His wife Brigette Melhem, who previously told the court she would stand by her husband, sat separate to his family in the public gallery.
She will have to look after their two-year-old child on her own for at least another three years, with Melhem eligible for release in November 2023.
The child has never seen her father out of prison, as he has been in custody since his arrest in August 2017, when he was busted for trying to sell thousands of grams worth of drugs to an undercover policeman.
Melhem made his millions as the co-founder of telco OneFone in the late 1990s.
In his prime he sponsored the Manly NRL team and he was known for his star-studded parties
One such bash was for Manly player Brett Stewart at his Kirribilli mansion after he was acquitted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2010.
But Melhem suffered a fall from grace which culminated in him being caught trying to strike a massive drug deal with an undercover cop.
Three other men – Michael McCarry, Joshua Burner and Christian Wickremasinghe – were also arrested as part of the syndicate.
His co-accused McCarry and Burner were sentenced to four years, and four years and 11 months respectively for their role in the operation.
McCarry is eligible for parole on December 2021 and Burner in September 2021.
Wickremasinghe was jailed for a maximum of five years and four months last December.
He was guilty of three counts of supplying an indictable amount of a prohibited drugs, two of drug possession and one of supplying a commercial quantity of illegal drugs.
Magistrate Anthony Townsden told the court Melhem “played a greater role” than his co-accused.
“He’s not at the top end of the criminal enterprise, but he was the primary target of a police investigation and communicated instructions to an undercover office. His role was significant,” the Mr Townsden said.
Melhem, at a meeting on August 7, 2017, told the undercover officer he could supply 2kg of cocaine to him.
Four days later, he told the officer he could organise the supply of 5kg of pseudoephedrine for $185,000.
They agreed to meet at Concord KFC where a man calling himself “Greg” got into the undercover officer’s car and handed over 1.5kg of cocaine in a black garbage bag.
Melhem arranged another meeting with the officer at Krispy Kreme in Mascot where 2kg of cocaine would be supplied at $195,000 per kilogram.
At 1.30pm the officer parked his car at the doughnut shop where McCarry placed a box containing two bricks, each containing just under 1kg of cocaine, in the officer’s boot.
On August 16, Melhem and the officer exchanged messages for another 5kg supply of pseudoephedrine the next day.
Melhem was arrested about half an hour before the scheduled meeting at Waterview cafe, Bicentennial Park at Homebush.
When police later raided a Pyrmont apartment linked to Melhem’s syndicate they found 22 kilograms of cocaine.
Co-accused McCarry was arrested in his Annandale home and pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, and possession charges.
He told police it was his first courier job and he had expected to get paid about $2000 for the job.
Burner handed himself in about three months after the police operation, pleading guilty to knowingly taking part in the supply of a commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
Burner told police he had damaged an Outlaw bikies motorcycle and was told to deliver a package as penance.