Dandenong dad and Melbourne Repco employee Bilal Tabit pleads guilty to trafficking meth
A Melbourne dad and top Repco employee who is the proud “breadwinner” of his family has admitted trafficking meth.
South East
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A one-time drug runner who got caught up in a southeast dial-a-deal supply chain has escaped a prison sentence.
Bilal Tabit, 41, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a 16-month community correction order after pleading guilty to drug trafficking.
The Dandenong father-of-two became caught up in the syndicate when he was doing some handy work for Dung “Dee” Nguyen Nguyen, who was a player in the operation.
Nguyen asked Tabit to deliver a package for him from Dandenong to Keysborough in April 2019.
Tabit admitted he had a feeling the package contained drugs, but he didn’t ask any questions.
At the time of the delivery, police had just taken down the kingpin Harry Piperias — a former Cranbourne North baker — and his girlfriend, Nicole Dellar continued the operation after his arrest.
Undercover cops had been running a covert operation on Piperias and his racket prior to his arrest.
The court heard Nguyen also supplied drugs to Piperias and Dellar.
Tabit delivered 55.3g of meth — with a 80 per cent purity — to Della on April 25, before she delivered it to an undercover operative ‘Chris’.
Tabit was arrested for his involvement on May 21 in 2019 and made a no comment interview.
The court heard he is a dedicated father of two and the breadwinner of his household.
He continues to maintain employment at Repco as a senior foreman.
Judge Gerard Mullaly said he had been merciful in his punishment of Tabit because of his law-abiding past but handed down a conviction.
“The sentence I’m imposing is merciful enough …,” Judge Mullaly said.
“It should inform everyone, including employers, you have been given a second chance and that the court understands how serious this crime is.”
Tabit was convicted and ordered to complete 140 hours of unpaid community work.
Piperias was sentenced in the County Court in September last year to a minimum four-years jail term after pleading guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of heroin.
Piperias was the “principle” of the business which moved smack through Dandenong, Noble Park and Keysborough between October 2018 and February 2019.
Piperias employed several cronies within the organisation which operated as a dial-a-deal heroin delivery business.
The crew’s racket was infiltrated in late-2018 by undercover cops ‘Sammy’ and ‘Chris’, the court was told.
Police deployed phone intercepts and covert surveillance to tighten the net around Piperias and his associates.
Piperias and the gang peddled their wares at various southeast locations including hospitals, sports grounds, private homes, Parkmore Shopping Centre, a Hungry Jacks, a 7-Eleven and Dandenong KFC.
An underling’s home was the base of the operation but much of the business was done on the road by “employees” who worked in shifts, seven days a week, morning to evening.
The crew completed 520 individual deals moving more than 800 grams of heroin while under police surveillance.
The crew, who accepted cash, goods and sometimes put drugs on tick, also sold 166 grams of heroin to covert cop Sammy for $53,650.
Piperias was a hands-on kingpin who sourced and prepared heroin for sale including cutting and weighing the drugs.
Piperias, who paid his employees in cash or drugs, was also directly involved in street-level deals.
Luckily for Piperias he was arrested by police unconnected to the undercover investigation in February, 2019.
Piperias was nabbed semiconscious, sitting alone in a car at a service station with more than 30 grams of heroin, a knife, $2570 and multiple mobile phones.
Piperias told police the heroin was for him and an illiterate mate for personal use and claimed most of the cash was for rent.
The surprise arrest led covert cops running the investigation to pounce and arrest the other crew members.
Piperias, a dad, worked as a baker at multiple southeast businesses but found it hard to hold down jobs due to his heroin addiction.
Piperias, who had spent 936 days on remand, was jailed for a maximum six years.
Nguyen was sentenced to in September 2019 to an 18-month jail term after pleading guilty to trafficking heroin and meth.
Dellar, who pleaded guilty to trafficking meth and heroin and dealing with the proceeds of crime, was handed a maximum 20-month jail term.
