Malvern East mum Hiu Mei Lam trafficked ice hidden inside tea bags, court hears
A single mum gambled everything and lost it all when she set up an illicit family business from her eastern-suburbs home. Now her fate, and that of her young son, hangs in the balance, a court has heard.
Inner East
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A “greedy” eastern suburbs mum faces deportation to China without her child after she was busted peddling massive amounts of the drug ice from her family home.
Hiu Mei Lam, 31, a single mother of a five-year-old son, pleaded guilty at the County Court to trafficking a large quantity of methamphetamine through her Malvern East townhouse disguised inside herbal “green Chinese tea” bags.
Her operation lasted just three and a half months before police raided her property in February 2018, the court heard.
About 15kg of the drug was found inside her home, which she shared with her then boyfriend and business partner, Veselin Orlic, as well as inside cars linked to the young couple.
More than $576,921 cash was also seized as well as two guns and ammunition.
Judge Bill Stuart said Lam’s greed prompted her to start her illicit operation, and while Orlic helped with the business and ran his own drug trade on the side, he said Lam was the ringleader.
“Whilst there is no evidence of wealth that can be identified other than perhaps the vast sums of money that were found, you were clearly motivated by greed,” Judge Stuart said.
“Your business only stopped because of your arrest.”
Judge Stuart said Lam faced “almost certain deportation” to her native China, while her Australian-born son, a citizen by birth, may have to remain in the country.
“Your son … is in China being cared for by your elderly mother with, as I have said, his visa expiring in November of this year. Whether or not that visa will be extended is uncertain,’’ he said.
“You face almost certain deportation, potentially leaving him in Australia and you in China. That situation, if it were to come about would indeed be a tragic one.”
Hiu Mei Lam also pleaded guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Judge Stuart sentenced her to 10 years’ and six months’ jail with a non-parole period of seven years.
Orlic was sentenced to eight years’ and 11 months’ jail for his part in the scheme and must serve at least five years and 11 months before becoming eligible for parole.
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