Hai Dang Bui: Rhodes man sentenced for commercial drug supply

A former student at one of Sydney’s most prestigious private schools has learned his fate after he became embroiled in a drug supply syndicate which imported and supplied illicit substances across Sydney.

A former student at one of Sydney’s most prestigious private schools had a spectacular fall from grace when he became embroiled in a drug syndicate with alleged links to the Hells Angels and Brothers 4 Life.

Rhodes man Hai Dang Bui’s seeming life of privilege — one of attending various international schools overseas and Sydney’s Newington College – received a rude awakening when he was arrested as part of a police operation which brought down a Sydney drug syndicate.

On Thursday Bui, now aged 27, appeared via videolink as he learned his fate more than two years on from his dramatic arrest in November 2020.

Bui had previously pleaded guilty to a string of charges including commercial drug supply, three counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug, importing cannabis, knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal group.

The court heard Bui was arrested in late 2020 with Mohamed Fawaz Mahfouz. Mahfouz was the alleged head of the criminal group Bui participated in, with Bui playing a less significant role.

Hai Dang Bui pictured during his arrest in 2020.

The arrests came following dramatic police raids on homes in Rhodes and Homebush but the court did not hear anything further about the status of Mahfouz’s charges during the sentencing.

Delivering his sentence, Judge Mark Buscombe said Bui’s string of offences occurred between June 1 and September 16, 2020.

Some of the cash found by police during their raids.

Police also located a sum of drugs during the raids.

In this short time period, Bui supplied 140g of meth, 309.9g of cocaine and 906g of cannabis, the court heard.

Between August 2019 and September 2020, Bui also imported 38 packages of cannabis, totalling 6.3 kilograms, to different addresses around Sydney.

Throughout this period, little did Bui know he was under police surveillance, with officers watching a drug house in Rhodes and observing individuals purchasing illicit substances and exchanging thousands of dollars in cash.

When police pounced on the Rhodes house they found $71,000 in cash, multiple phones and 7.5g of cocaine.

Delivering his sentence, Judge Buscombe said Bui had immigrated to Australia when he was aged 12.

The court heard Bui told his psychologist he had experienced a traumatic childhood, alleging his mother whipped him with garden hoses and belts if he did not perform well at school.

Soon after finishing his studies, Bui became embroiled in the consumption of drugs and was heavily addicted to cannabis, the court heard.

He was also diagnosed with depression, PTSD and anxiety.

Judge Buscombe told the court while Bui’s offending was serious, it was not as serious as the alleged offences of others in the group.

“ (Bui’s) role … appears to be more of a worker than of someone directing the supply,” Judge Buscombe said.

For his offences, Bui was convicted and sentenced to four years and nine months in prison with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

Having been in remand since the time of his arrest, the earliest Bui could be released on parole is June 15.