Joch McLean, son of ex Rooster Mike McLean, faces cocaine charge

The son of one time Dally M runner up Mike McLean has been bailed on commercial cocaine charges — but he says the drugs are not his.

Joch McLean has denied owning the drugs police discovered.

The son of a former rugby league star has been charged after $300,000 worth of cocaine was found inside his Northern Beaches apartment — but he is claiming the drugs are not his.

Police allege Joch McLean is the owner of 1.3kg of cocaine that investigators recovered from his Manly unit when they were called there following a domestic violence complaint on November 18.

The 27-year-old is the son of Mike McLean, a hard-running second rower who starred for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters and Queensland State of Origin in the 1980s and ’90s. Known as “The Paddle Pop Lion” due to his prominent curly mullet, Mike McLean was the runner-up for the Dally M medal to Cronulla’s Gavin Miller in 1988.

Joch McLean — who is facing one charge of supplying a large commercial quantity of a border controlled drug — was granted bail by Magistrate Chris Longley at Manly Local Court on Tuesday after a $100,000 security deposit was lodged for him.

Mike McLean evades a Laurie Daley tackle in the 1991 State of Origin.

The footy star’s son Joch McLean is facing a drug supply charge.

McLean denies being the owner of the drug and his lawyer Paul McGirr told the court police had arrested his client “on a hunch” and had not provided any evidence proving the drugs belonged to the 27-year-old.

“At this stage (police) don’t have any forensic evidence to link my client — such as fingerprints or DNA — (to the drugs),” Mr McGirr told the court.

According to a police fact sheet tendered to the court, officers found the drugs when they attended Mr McLean’s Victoria Pde unit at 6.15am on November 18.

This was in relation to an alleged domestic violence incident McLean allegedly had with his girlfriend Danielle Kovacevic.

Police allege McLean arrived home at 5.30am and pulled a doona off Ms Kovacevic during an argument. No charges have been laid in relation to this.

When police were interviewing Ms Kovacevic, they allegedly saw McLean rummaging through a large multi-coloured bag, the document said.

Police allegedly questioned Ms Kovacevic as to the whereabouts of the doona.

Police said Ms Kovacevic allegedly found it inside the multi-coloured bag and began “to visibly panic” at the sight of “an amount of white powder” in a black “buckaroo” bag, which was also inside the larger bag.

Ms Kovacevic denied owning or having any knowledge of the drugs.

Inside the buckaroo bag, police allegedly found 1.3kg of cocaine inside plastic takeaway containers and a yellow plastic bowl, the document said.

In his post football career, Mike McLean purchased the Grandview Hotel in Bowen.

Police allege that 120g of the cocaine was also loose at the bottom of the bag.

Police further allege that on November 16, McLean spent several hours inside an Ulladulla Airbnb property where he left behind “a solid piece of white powder”, later confirmed as cocaine.

Police noted in the documents tendered in court that the white powder found in the Manly apartment “has the same unique appearance as that located in the Airbnb at Ulladulla”.

In court, Mr McGirr told Magistrate Longley police had not mentioned in the fact sheet his client had not been near the Manly apartment for four days prior to the arrest and that it was Ms Kovacevic who was noted as panicking when the cocaine was discovered.

However, police told the court that Ms Kovacevic was not considered a suspect. No charges have ben laid against her.

“Just on a hunch you decided that my client was a suspect yet the other person in the house wasn’t — on the same hunch,” Mr McGirr said while cross-examining the officer in charge of the case.

“I am perplexed that the police has taken this attitude.”

Police also took an AVO out against McLean for Ms Kovacevic.

When contacted, Mr McGirr declined to comment.

McLean will return to court on January 28.

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