Richard Salazar: Chilean miner and son-in-law Raeid Zreika allegedly imported 11kg of cocaine
A Chilean national will likely spend Christmas behind bars despite putting up $300,000 to secure his release on charges alleging he imported 11kg of cocaine in machinery.
Northern District Times
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The two men police allege were behind a plan to bring 11kg of cocaine into Sydney hidden in an alternator can be revealed as a Chilean gold miner and his young son-in-law.
Richard Salazar-Martinez, 52, and Raeid Zreika, 37, are facing up to life in jail if convicted on charges of importing the drug and attempting to possess it after a multi-agency sting a year in the making.
South American Salazar-Martinez is accused of planning several trips to Chile before the coronavirus pandemic and allegedly had a video on his phone showing the weighing of the drug when he was arrested, a court has heard.
Despite putting up a $300,000 surety and agreeing to be electronically monitored around the clock Salazar-Martinez, a gold miner turned construction industry figure, was denied a release on bail in the Central Local Court on Monday.
His barrister Greg James QC argued Salazar-Martinez faced lengthy delays and would be in jail on remand until 2022 before going to trial.
Whether he knew the drug was hidden inside the machinery would also be contested, Mr James added.
The court was told prosecutors would ask a jury to connect the dots between the October 2019 video in a Chilean motel showing drugs, several trips to South America and the import a year later.
His defence will argue Salazar-Martinez believed he was legitimately importing a piece of machinery for his company.
It was allegedly imported under the name of business Overall Project Services Pty Ltd, of which Salazar-Martinez is a director.
Police are also relying on a series of WhatsApp messages between Salazar-Martinez and Zreika in their case against the pair.
The court was told the men talked about trusting each other and allegedly attempted to conceal their discussions about the alleged drug import 11 days after Salazar-Martinez sent the video from a Chilean motel.
The suspicious alternator was uncovered in a shipping container at Botany Bay, which arrived from Chile on September 11.
The AFP then swapped the drugs for a dummy substance before it was delivered.
Gold miner Salazar-Martinez’s family wept in court as he was first brought on screen and left in an emotional state after learning he would likely spend Christmas behind bars.
He had been living in a relative’s home in Eastwood when he was arrested.
Both he and Zreika will return to court next month.
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