Prosecutors backflip in ex-Bronco Jamil Hopoate’s drug supply case

Sacked NRL player Jamil Hopoate who is facing allegations he was caught up in a massive $154 million drug shipment has been freed on bail after a surprise backflip by prosecutors.

Ex-Bronco Jamil Hopoate, who is accused of drug supply, has been freed on bail after prosecutors backflipped despite initially being “vigorously opposed” to his release and after Bulldogs star Will Hopoate offered a $200,000 surety for his younger brother.

The son of former Manly star John Hopoate faced the NSW Supreme Court on Friday a month after being arrested over allegedly accessing a truck linked to a massive $154-million cocaine shipment at Port Botany.

Prosecutor David Laird was at first strongly against Hopoate being released on Thursday and argued the 26-year-old had gone to the vehicle “in circumstances where it’s demonstratively obvious“ that he believed there were illegal drugs inside.

Jamil Hopoate trains with Brisbane in 2020.

Justice Elizabeth Fullerton adjourned the matter so she could think overnight about whether to release him, but in the morning she told the court she had received a message that prosecutors had changed their minds and they now consented to him being released.

The court wasn’t told what prompted the about face.

Justice Fullerton granted Hopoate bail and said: “Despite the Crown’s vigorous opposition to the release application yesterday in the course of argument, which extended beyond four o’clock, within an hour of my delivering reserve judgment on the application, the outcome of which I don’t propose to indicate, I’m informed the Crown consents to the release application, is that the case Mr Laird?” to which Mr Laird replied: “That’s the case, your honour”.

The court was told Hopoate‘s older brother Will, who is one of Canterbury’s best players, was willing to offer up a surety of $200,000.

The consignment was found to contain 514kg of compacted white powder concealed within the steel boxes.

Their dad John had also written an affidavit in support of his son.

Once released Hopoate will live with his older brother in Gledswood in Sydney’s southwest and will report to Campbelltown police station as part of his bail conditions instead of living on the northern beaches with his parents.

Defence barrister Greg James, QC, had argued the supply case against Hopoate wasn’t strong because he was caught throwing away a bag of fake cocaine that police had secretly planted and not the real thing

But Justice Fullerton said the Crown would only have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that what Hopoate intentionally took was what he believed was cocaine and that he intended to supply it.

Hopoate will be sentenced on his other charges including domestic violence offences at Sydney’s Central Local Court on July 15.

He previously had admitted to two charges of common assault over allegations he struck his partner Shae Beathe in the carpark of the Club Panthers licensed venue in Port Macquarie on December 28, 2020.

Hopoate made his NRL debut in March last year and played 12 games for the Broncos as a lock and second-rower but was dumped by the Queensland club at the end of the season.

He didn’t sign any new deal and the incident with Ms Beathe was said to have caused him to lose any chance he had of joining a Sydney-based club.

Outside court, Mr Hopoate’s lawyer Mahmoud Abbas said the Crown reversal came after Justice Fullerton acknowledged the NRL star’s legal written legal arguments.

“Our argument is that the Crown has to prove that Mr Hopoate had knowledge of the contents of what was in the truck and there has to be an actual drug in the truck,” Mr Abbas said.

“Given that we are dealing with a bag of an inert substance, and not cocaine, those two elements do not exist.”