Bourke St killer’s brother Angelo Gargasoulas charged with drug trafficking

The Bourke St killer’s little brother - accused of running drugs via Ubers - has been “taunted and bullied” in prison due to his family name.

Angelo Gargasoulas, the little brother of infamous Bourke St killer James Gargasoulas, has been charged with drug trafficking. Picture: Sarah Matray

Bourke St killer James Gargasoulos’s little brother, accused of running a GHB Uber racket, is being held in protective custody due to being bullied and taunted by other prisoners.

Angelo Gargasoulas, 33, applied for bail in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on December 4 after he was arrested and charged following a police raid on his Carlton home on August 22.

Mr Gargasoulas, who had been “taunted and bullied” in prison due to his bloodlines, appeared via video link from protective custody in the Melbourne Remand Centre.

Police became aware of his alleged drug trafficking exploits when Simon Simoudis, a co-accused, told police he had dropped a box of 1,4-butanediol to Mr Simoudis’ address on July 10.
Mr Simoudis and Alex Talpau were raided and arrested by Melbourne Divisional Response Unit detectives on July 10 where they allegedly seized various drugs of dependence, including a brown cardboard box containing 21 bottles of GHB.

Angelo Gargasoulas has been charged with drug trafficking. Picture: Sarah Matray

Mr Simoudis told police Mr Gargasoulas dropped the brown cardboard box off, before police seized CCTV allegedly depicting him entering the building with the box just hours before they raided Mr Simoudis’ and Mr Talpau’s Southbank home.

Mr Gargasoulas was subsequently raided six weeks later, where police allegedly seized 10kg of 1,4 butadeniol hidden in bottles disguised as aloe vera.

Police also allegedly seized fraudulent documents and a notebook containing various fraudulent informant, the court heard.

The court heard there was no DNA found on the box that had been delivered to Mr Simoudis’ and Mr Talpau’s address.

Angelo Gargasoulas allegedly delivered a package of bottles of 1,4 butanediol disguised as aloe vera to a Southbank address on July 10. Picture: Sarah Matray

The prosecution case will hinge on whether the shoes allegedly worn by Mr Gargasoulas on July 10 after the same shoes seized from the raid on his Carlton home, the court heard.

Mr Gargasoulas made an application for bail where it was heard he would reside at a friend’s address in Prahran if he was bailed.

The friend cares for convicted sex offender John Buckley, a former Geelong Grammar teacher who preyed on young boys while teaching at the school in the early 1980s.

Police opposed bail as he would be living with a “registered sex offender” and Mr Gargasoulas’ friend’s main priority would be to look after the former teacher, not Mr Gargasoulas.

His friend said he would call the police if he saw Mr Gargasoulas using drugs or doing anything illegal, the court heard.

Convicted sex offender John Buckley was a master at Geelong Grammar School.

The court heard Buckley and Mr Gargasoulas had known each other for a few years.

Another friend of Mr Gargasoulas said she would support him if he was granted bail, such as taking him to appointments.

His lawyer Thibaut Clamart said the identity of Mr Gargasoulas’ dropping the package was a hole in the prosecution case without any DNA proof and as a result he should be granted bail.

Mr Clamart submitted he would be supervised by his friend is he was granted bail and also had the support of another friend.

Mr Clamart said there was a possibility Mr Gargasoulas could be acquitted.

Prosecutor said the median prison sentence if Mr Gargasoulas’ was found guilty of the trafficking charges was between 4-5 years which would exceed any time on remand.
He also told the court Mr Gargasoulas’ friends who gave evidence in support of his bail application were well meaning but they would have no control of his behaviour if he was out of prison.

Magistrate Matthew Page said Mr Gargasoulas has had a number of attempts at the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP) and was on a community corrections order at the time of his alleged offending.
Yesterday, Mr Gargasoulas was found suitable for CISP again.

Mr Page told the court he had numerous offences “of a similar ilk” and denied him bail.

He will next face court on February 28.

Mr Gargasoulas’ brother James killed six people in a horrific rampage in Bourke St in 2017.