Former pizza shop owner accused of being drug kingpin
A man is in custody and millions of dollars worth of luxury assets have been seized after a lengthy investigation into an alleged multimillion-dollar meth ring.
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A former regional WA pizza shop owner stands accused of being the kingpin of a multimillion-dollar meth ring plaguing Perth.
Nabil Bazzi is in custody and millions of dollars in assets have been seized by authorities after a 10-month investigation into the alleged drug ring.
Luxury homes, high-performance sports cars, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, shotguns, ammunition, steroids, methamphetamine and even explosives have been nabbed by police as part of their inquiries since the probe into the alleged Perth cartel began.
And today The West Australian can reveal details of the alleged drug network, which has been in the cops’ crosshairs since last March.
“The criminal network was attempting to distribute illicit drugs across the Perth metropolitan area, with each person having an important role in respect to the movement and storage of the drugs and the associated cash,” Det-Sen. Sgt Ray Horne said yesterday.
“Through this operation we have not only disrupted their business model, we have dismantled the network and put them all before the courts.”
Police will allege the main target of their investigation was 42-year-old Crawley man Mr Bazzi.
It will be alleged the former Port Hedland pizza shop owner was the “head” of the criminal network dealing the life-wrecking drugs across Perth.
Detectives have recently frozen two homes and a 2017 AMG Mercedes-Benz valued at more than $200,000 owned by Mr Bazzi. The properties are both in Crawley and are understood to have a combined value of about $4 million. The West Australian understands one of them is on Wingfield Avenue and last sold for $2.3 million in January 2018.
According to property records, the high-rise unit which overlooks the Swan River is owned by a company called H and N Hire Pty Ltd, of which Mr Bazzi is a director.
Ten people, including Mr Bazzi, have been charged by the organised crime squad detectives as part of the massive investigation. Many are still before the courts and some are facing serious drug trafficking charges.
The wide-ranging investigation first led police on June 19 to a home in Sandalwood Drive in Greenwood.
It will be alleged police uncovered a cache of stolen firearms, explosives, prescription drugs, knuckledusters and electronic stun gun devices at the address. A 32-year-old man has been charged with numerous offences over the haul.
The following month police seized more firearms, ammunition and steroids in a raid in Mt Lawley. Then, on September 11, a white Ford Ranger allegedly being driven by Mr Bazzi was stopped on Mounts Bay Road in Crawley. Police will alleged they found $112,950 in cash stashed in the car.
Mr Bazzi has been charged with property laundering over the incident.
And police hit him with even more serious charges after a 7kg meth seizure allegedly found in a car that was stopped in East Cannington in late November.
A 22-year-old man from Southern River was arrested at the scene and charged at the time over the discovery.
A search at an East Cannington home allegedly uncovered a further $352,700 cash and more than 1000 rounds of ammunition.
Mr Bazzi was charged on December 23 with possessing a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply over the drug seizure.
He will face court today on that charge and the property laundering offence.
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Last month detectives arrested another six people allegedly linked to the syndicate after further searches in the suburbs of Brabham, Lansdale, Malaga, Perth and Rivervale.
Those raids allegedly uncovered more than $216,000 cash, vacuum-sealing machines and more steroids.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson last year warned methamphetamine was flooding the State’s streets as he revealed West Australians consumed more than $27 million of the drug every week.
“One of the strategies we are using is to follow the money,” Mr Dawson said.
“This must be a methodology that will continue and I expect it will continue to be the approach. I put to you if you don’t have an immediate member of your family, or a neighbour or someone who works for you that has either a direct addiction or a child or a friend that is addicted to meth in WA, it would be unusual.
“Some of you have that within your immediate families.”