Medhat Mankaryous: Alleged senior Lone Wolf bikie seeks bail on drug supply charges

Police say the alleged senior Lone Wolfs bikie gang member is “Eyeballs” – a codenamed figure which directed the manufacture and supply of 40kg of methamphetamine.

Medhat Mankaryous: Alleged senior Lone Wolf bikie seeks bail on drug supply charges

An alleged senior Lone Wolfs bikie gang member allegedly used a codename “Eyeballs” to direct the manufacture and supply of 40kg of the drug ice, a court has heard.

Police swooped on Medhat Mankaryous, 41, at his St Clair home and marched him out to a police truck in an open robe and gaudy boardshorts under suspicion of directing a significant drug supply operation.

Documents tendered to Penrith Local Court reveal police will allege Mankaryous was the brains behind the manufacture and supply of 40kg of methamphetamine at Marsden Park between January 14 and March 1 this year.

A court has now heard a protected person codenamed “Witness A” has provided a statement which identifies Mankaryous as the operation’s alleged ringleader.

His solicitor Michael Ayache made a bail application on his behalf at the same court on Wednesday.

“The police say he is a senior member of an outlaw motorcycle gang, and is heavily entrenched in and connected to crime,” Mr Ayache told Magistrate Stephen Corry.

”There is some connection said to be made between membership of this group and being involved heavily in crime is certainly not reflected in his antecedence.”

Police arrested Mankaryous in September.

Mr Ayache said that in the 10 years police allege Mankaryous has been a senior member of the Lone Wolfs, he has only been fined for prohibited drug possession and assaulting police.

The solicitor also told the court there was little to support police’s assertions Mankaryous was “heavily involved in directing and controlling a large quantity of prohibited drugs”.

It was acknowledged police have more recently amended the fact sheet to reflect that they will rely on a statement from “Witness A” to prove Mankaryous and “Eyeballs” – a messaging app handle which was allegedly directing the drug activity – are one and the same.

“There are no physical observations, no forensic connection, no inkling that my client is in any way connected to the established premises or sourcing the products or moving the products to or from the premises,” Mr Ayache told the court.

“These labs are supposed to be quite sophisticated, a lot of equipment has to be purchased to set them up – there is not a shred of evidence that connects my client to setting it up, no physical observations of attendance or connections with these people other than the say-so of ‘Witness A’.”

Mankaryous being taken into custody at St Marys police station.

Mr Ayache also asserted Mankaryous was not found with any encrypted devices and said his client needed to be on bail to attend to his ailing mother, his family and his plumbing business.

But prosecutor Mr Grace told the court surveillance, phone intercepts and analysis and call charge records amounted to a strong case against Mankaryous, in addition to the word of “Witness A”.

“There is a statement from a person that establishes (Mankaryous) is responsible for the ‘Eyeballs’ handle,” Mr Grace said.

“The person who is using that handle is intimately involved with this commercial supply.”

Mr Corry said he viewed the police case as strong.

“It would appear he sits as a principal in the matter,” Mr Corry observed.

The magistrate found Mankaryous had not demonstrated why his ongoing detention on remand was not justified and he refused his bail.

Mankaryous is yet to enter pleas to manufacturing a large commercial quantity of drugs, large commercial drug supply, knowingly directing a criminal group’s acts, failing to comply with a digital evidence access order, or possessing testosterone.

Mr Ayache told the court Mankaryous had not understood the digital evidence access order and had subsequently provided the passcode to his seized mobile phone to police through his lawyer as an indication of his willingness to comply with it.

The matter returns to court on November 10 for brief status.