Mohamad Naboulsi, Shadi Jamal learn fate after attempting to possess 48kg of meth imported from Mexico
Two men have been sentenced after they were busted using an angle grinder in an attempt to open an industrial magnet, which contained 48kg of meth imported from Mexico. Find out what happened.
The Express
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A man has been sentenced to three years and four months behind bars after he and three others were caught attempting to use an angle grinder to open an industrial magnet, which contained 48kg of meth from Mexico.
Mohamad Naboulsi was represented by lawyer Mostafa Daoudie as he appeared alongside Shadi Jamal in the Sydney District Court earlier this month, after the pair pleaded guilty to attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug.
Court documents state the 23-year-old men were intercepted by NSW Police officers in March last year “attempting to use an angle grinder to open an industrial magnet which had contained about 48kg of pure methamphetamine at the time of its unlawful importation … from Mexico”.
Narrabeen man Aaron Macaulay Waters is alleged to have been one of the four men involved in the offence. He is yet to enter a plea to attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug.
The industrial magnet, weighing more than 600kg, was shipped to Australia on Christmas Eve in 2022.
During an examination of the consignment in mid-March 2023, Australian Border Force officers claim to have identified “anomalies” with its internal structure and found a metal box containing the methamphetamine.
The methamphetamine was substituted for an inert substance.
Documents state the men were captured by audio and visual surveillance accepting delivery of the consignment before loading it onto the back of a truck and transporting it to an industrial premises in Ingleside.
During their conversations, one man allegedly said “no room for error in this game … gotta be on the ball always”.
The man also allegedly said he could “make you very rich boys”.
Multiple phones, seized from the men during their arrests, were allegedly later found to contain further evidence of their involvement in the offending.
In handing down her decision, Judge Nicole Noman found Naboulsi to have had a lower role than Jamal.
The court heard the facts did not support “impulsivity” in their offending.
Judge Noman acknowledged both Naboulsi and Jamal had expressed remorse and taken responsibility.
She said Naboulsi had detailed drug use and debt to explain his involvement while also highlighting his disadvantaged upbringing.
For Jamal, Judge Noman noted his childhood trauma and a gambling disorder.
“Each requires treatment and support … [their] prospects of reoffending are guarded,” she said.
Naboulsi was ultimately sentenced to three years and four months in jail, with a two-year non parole period. He is eligible for release on March 21, 2025.
Jamal was jailed for three years and nine months, and is eligible for release on parole on June 21, 2025.
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