Sydney truckie Bilal Chaker cleared of cross-border drug trafficking charges

Jurors spent four days hearing evidence against Sydney truckie Bilal Chaker. They took an embarrassingly short time to return their verdict.

A self-employed truckie has been acquitted of cross-border drug trafficking charges in near-record time after a jury took just 31 minutes to find he was totally unaware of the presence of more than 125kg of cannabis inside his latest delivery.

Bilal Chaker, 24, was found not guilty of charges of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and supplying a prohibited drug greater than a large commercial quantity following a short trial in Parramatta District Court earlier this month.

Prosecutors had alleged Chaker knowingly drove a Pantech truck containing 125kg of cannabis – concealed inside boxes of new cafe chairs – from Sydney to Brisbane in the early hours of March 4, 2021.

However, the jury emphatically rejected the crown case at trial, taking just half an hour to clear him of all charges.

Sydney truckie Bilal Chaker, 24, was was found not guilty of charges of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Chaker’s legal team, consisting of barrister Tom Hughes and Mahmoud Abbas from Abbas Jacobs Lawyers, will now apply to have the state pay Chaker’s legal costs.

It is understood they will argue the case should never have proceeded given the lack of credible evidence against Chaker.

Their application for a permanent stay in February was rejected.

Court documents reveal the Pantech truck had already been loaded when Chaker arrived at the Smithfield warehouse just before midnight on March 3, 2021.

The court heard he got behind the wheel and began driving to Brisbane, unaware his every movement was under watch from officers attached to Strike Force Raptor.

The police surveillance showed Chaker arriving at an industrial site at Yatala, a suburb about halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, just after 10am that day, where he was seen to help unload 44-gallon drums and 20ltr plastic bottles from the back of his truck.

He then drove the vehicle about 30 minutes up the road where he met with another male on a suburban street.

Chaker helped transfer two cardboard boxes from the back of his truck into the man’s Toyota HiAce van, before getting back behind the wheel of the vehicle and beginning the return journey to Sydney.

Court documents reveal the HiAce van was intercepted by Queensland police a short time later.

Bilal Chaker leaves Parramatta District Court after a bail review.

Officers discovered 125.8kg of cannabis in eight vacuum-sealed bags concealed inside the boxes, along with a Ciphr encrypted Samsung phone, which are known to be used almost exclusively for illegal activity.

Meanwhile, Chaker was apprehended on the NSW mid-north coast about 7.30pm that night.

Police searched the Pantech, discovering $476,000 in vacuum-sealed bags stashed inside a cardboard box that had been taped closed and put in a lockbox on the outside of the truck, the court heard.

Chaker spent two months in custody before being granted bail on strict conditions, including a night-time curfew, which severely limited his ability to work.

Prosecutors alleged at trial the presence of the drugs, the cash and the Ciphr phone together was proof Chaker was involved in illegal activity.

But Chaker’s legal team argued he had no idea the drugs were inside the truck at any stage before or during the trip and didn’t know the sealed cardboard box contained cash, let alone potentially criminal proceeds.

The court heard police failed to find Chaker’s DNA on any of the items they seized.

Outside court, Mr Abbas told the Telegraph the result was a welcome one for Chaker and his family.

“We are pleased with the jury’s decision to find Mr Chaker not guilty,” he said.

“After an extensive and tedious four years, Mr Chaker has been vindicated and can put this matter behind him.”