Peter Mogyorosi: Riverwood taxi driver sentenced for taking part in the supply of meth

A 71-year-old taxi driver made a “foolish” decision to pick up and drop off $3500 worth of drugs to a fellow supplier. Find out why he did it.

An elderly former taxi driver has avoided jail after he “helped a mate” by picking up and dropping off a package of meth using his car.

Peter Mogyorosi, 71, appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to taking part in the supply of an indictable to commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.

Agreed facts tendered to court said police established Strike Force Nanangroe to investigate the supply of methylamphetamine in the St George area in February 2020.

Investigators identified Jonathan Hart, now aged 48, as a supplier and intercepted his phone in April, with communication between him and Mogyorosi monitored.

Mogyorosi has regularly worked as a taxi driver for Classic Cabs since 2019 and almost exclusively drove a red Toyota Camry, with licence plate T7913.

A former Riverwood taxi driver Peter Mogyorosi, pictured with his lawyer Matthew Laba, admitted he used his car to make a delivery of drugs to a fellow supplier. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

On April 26, about 1.40pm, Hart arranged to obtain an unnamed commodity from Mogyorosi, with the pair agreeing to meet the following day, court documents said.

Mogyorosi and Hart met at Monterey at about 12.50pm where police observed a red Toyota Camry taxi, with the same registration plate as the one Mogyorosi usually drove, parked next to a Mitsubishi Evo, which was registered to Hart, on Barton St.

Officers observed Hart approach and lean into the driver’s side window of the taxi and interact with Mogyorosi for about 10 seconds before returning to his car, the documents said.

Both cars left the street separately, with investigators following Hart’s car before stopping it a short time later.

They found a plastic bag containing 28.98 grams of meth concealed in his underwear and he was arrested and charged with supplying drugs, court documents said.

Peter Mogyorosi previously appeared in Sutherland Local Court where he pleaded guilty to taking part in the supply of an indictable to commercial prohibited drug. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Investigators confirmed with Classic Cabs records that Mogyorosi was the driver of the taxi on April 27 and confirmed Hart had communicated with him to set up the meeting.

On August 17, police arrested Mogyorosi at his Riverwood home, where he confessed to supplying Hart with one ounce of meth for $3500.

The court heard on Tuesday that Mogyorosi, who now lives at Waterloo, is supported by his two children.

He retired from being an operations manager of the taxi service due to poor health and is now on Centrelink benefits.

Mogyorosi’s lawyer Matthew Laba said in 2020, he returned to work after having surgery and “took advantage” of an opportunity to “help a mate”, noting it was a “foolish” decision.

Peter Mogyorosi was sentenced to a nine-month intensive correction order. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

The court heard Mogyorosi had been convicted in 1993 of a supply cocaine charge, but had no other offences since.

Mr Laba submitted his client was remorseful and was at the “lower end of the totem pole” of the drug supply operation, primarily acting as a courier.

Magistrate Phillip Stewart said Mogyorosi’s involvement in the operation was for “financial gain” and the weight of the drugs “was not insignificant”, adding he knew what he was doing was wrong.

Magistrate Stewart convicted Mogyorosi, placing him on a nine-month intensive corrections order and he was fined $3000.

Hart was imprisoned for a range of offences, including the drug supply matter, at Downing Centre last year where he was handed a non-parole period of 18 months and a total sentence of two years and six months.