Jason Gerges charged with drug supply after fire at Kogarah unit
A Campsie man who was arrested following a Kogarah unit fire allegedly sold cocaine from a van that had a sophisticated hidden compartment to store drugs inside, a court has heard.
St George Shire Standard
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A concreting business director will spend Christmas behind bars on remand after he was allegedly involved in a syndicate and sold cocaine from a van that had a sophisticated compartment to hide drugs.
Jason Gerges, 30, was refused bail in Sutherland Local Court on Monday and is facing serious drug supply allegations following a fire in a suspected Kogarah drug lab.
The Campsie man, a director of Levels Concreting Services with his twin brother, was arrested last week along with his co-accused Jason Khoury and Ho Jae Lee, who remain before the court.
Documents tendered to the court said a Raptor Squad established Strike Force Caste to investigate the supply and distribution of large commercial quantities of cocaine and the proceeds of crime in the Sydney area, alleging Gerges, Khoury, and Lee are alleged members of a criminal syndicate.
Police alleged Khoury was using two cars, a Toyota HiLux and a LDV van, with a sophisticated aftermarket hidden compartment installed in the rear cavity.
The documents said that investigators undertook physical and electronic surveillance, which allegedly captured Khoury attending a unit on Austral Street in Kogarah in both cars.
The van was also allegedly seen parked in a secured underground car park at Gerges’ unit complex.
On December 12, shortly before 6pm, Lee was found lying on a nature strip near the Kogarah unit with significant burns to his body following an explosion inside an apartment.
Police allege they found burnt and melted metal trays on the living room floor, kitchen benches, and cooktops.
According to court documents, officers also allegedly found 5.8kg of cocaine in the drying out process along with solvent, which led them to believe the unit was being used as a drug lab.
The documents further allege on the following morning, Gerges was seen walking towards the LDV van parked nearby the unit before he allegedly walked away when he saw police.
Gerges was allegedly found with a key for the van and told officers a mate had given him the van key.
Inside the van, police allegedly found a fob in the sunglasses case, which opened the hidden compartment revealing several bags of a white powder believed to be cocaine, with a total weight of 1.02kg.
Gerges was arrested and charged with two counts of supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs, dealing with property proceeds of crime and two counts of supplying an indictable commercial amount of drugs.
At his home, police allegedly found a torn-up rental bond receipt and an Energy Australia electricity bill for the Kogarah address at the bottom of a toilet, which they claimed he tore in an attempt to distance himself from the unit.
Police also allegedly found 6.64g of a white powder believed to be cocaine, 3.08g of MDMA and $12,900 in cash in the kitchen drawer and another $2190 in the spare bedroom wardrobe.
According to the documents, on the same day, Khoury was arrested at his Hurstville home, where $2550 in cash was seized, and an electronic fob and key were found in his pocket, which was allegedly an access pass and key to his Gerges’ house.
Khoury was charged with two counts of supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Lee was taken to the hospital for treatment and was in an induced coma. He was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
In court, Gerges’ defence barrister Avni Djemal said the prosecution case against his client was weak because Gerges was not seen driving the van containing the drugs and there was no evidence such as DNA or receipts linking him to the van.
Mr Djemal said Gerges was only seen walking towards the van and had a key and there was no evidence to support that he knew there were drugs inside the secret compartment.
He also noted Khoury had a key to Gerge’ unit, casting doubt Gerges tore up the energy bill.
Mr Djemal offered, on behalf of his client, house arrest style bail conditions where he would be accompanied to work with his twin brother Andrew Gerges.
There was also a $1m surety offered as well $50,000 of Andrew Gerges’ savings.
Magistrate Phillip Stewart noted the case against Gerges was still in the “very early days” with not all evidence presented to court, but noted investigators had identified Gerges, Khoury and Lee as alleged members of a criminal syndicate.
He accepted the bail conditions proposed were strong but said the allegations against Gerges were too serious and refused to grant bail.
Gerges and Khoury will return to court in February.
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