Guy Habkouk pleads guilty to drug importation charge over record-breaking 348kg heroin bust

Police discovered almost 1000 blocks of heroin concealed inside two industrial bakery mixers imported from Malaysia. But it would be two years before officers bagged their main man.

Guy Habkouk pictured with federal police following his extradition from Turkey to Australia in 2023. Picture: AFP

A Sydney man has confessed to orchestrating from afar one of the largest importations of heroin into Australia in recent history.

Court documents reveal Guy Habkouk, 35, co-ordinated with his brother Wade to smuggle an eye-watering 348kg of the depressant drug into the country in December 2020, concealed inside two commercial bakery mixers imported from Malaysia.

Guy, who was overseas in Thailand at the time, admitted he organised via encrypted chat for Wade to extract the heroin from inside the mixers when they were released from Australian customs, unaware that federal police had already pounced on the equipment and seized the illicit drugs, replacing it with an inert substance.

Wade’s efforts proved fruitless and the pair were left empty-handed, but authorities were powerless to act, with Guy remaining out of the country and out of the hands of law enforcement for the next two years.

However, in January 2023, police received news that Guy had been arrested in Turkey in possession of a fake Venezuelan passport in the name of Diego Gomez Smith.

Habkouk will face sydney’s Downing Centre District Court (pictured) next year for sentencing. Picture: Nikki Short

Guy was subsequently deported to Australia. He was immediately arrested upon his arrival at Sydney Airport and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported substance, to which he subsequently pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, Guy organised for the heroin to be flown to Australia in December 2020 aboard a Malaysian Airlines cargo plane flying out of Kuala Lumpur.

The flight arrived on December 16, with the consignment sent from “Murni Bakery Equipment” and addressed to a “Michael” living in Hinchinbrook.

Later that day, the logistics company overseeing the consignment received a call from “Michael” inquiring about the time frame for collecting the mixers.

The court heard the consignment was transferred to a holding company at Botany the following day, where it was flagged for inspection by Australian Border Force officials.

The new company informed “Michael” that the consignment was a “random hold” by the ABF and its release date could not be confirmed.

Agreed facts state authorities examined the mixers on December 23, discovering almost 1000 blocks of heroin wrapped in Double U-O Globe-branded wrapping which had been hidden inside lead boxes in the mixers.

Federal police took over the investigation, swapping out the heroin before reconstructing the mixers and returning them to the holding company on two pallets.

Habkouk confessed to his role in one of Australia’s largest ever heroin imports. Picture: AFP

Meanwhile, “Michael” organised to sub-lease part of an industrial unit in Hornsby, where one of the mixers was eventually taken on February 10.

The court heard Wade was seen attending the unit on three consecutive days, with the agreed facts saying he used power tools to pull the mixer apart in an attempt to locate the heroin.

The mixer was later found discarded and cut open in another man’s vehicle.

The court heard no one attempted to open up the second vertical mixer, which was shipped to a removalist company at Greenacre and subsequently abandoned.

Police raided Wade’s home in September 2021 and charged him with attempting to possess 140kg of heroin contained in the first mixer.

Wade pleaded not guilty to the charge but was found guilty at trial and sentenced to 15 years jail, with a non parole period of 11 years. With time served, he will be eligible to apply for parole in 2034.

Guy, who remains in custody on remand, will face sentencing in the NSW District Court in February.

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