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Sydney Morning Herald
15 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The downfall of a drug racket: An underworld drama
Soon it was obvious that Hafner was a bigger fish than first thought. Hafner had form, not so much in his criminal records but in his associates, including the notorious Tony Mokbel. Act One, Scene Two: A bizarre claim in the County Court In 2007, Hafner went to the County Court to argue that a house in Bulleen that had been seized as part of Tony's impressive real estate portfolio was, in fact, his. He explained that the house had been given to him by his generous grandmother and had somehow been scooped up as part of Mokbel's $55 million asset portfolio. An honest (well dishonest) mistake, he told the County Court. Hafner, you see, was going through a difficult divorce, and he wanted to make sure his partner could not get her hands on half the title. 'My words were that basically I was having domestics with my missus and, basically, I don't know what to do with my grandmother's house, and we ... came to the conclusion that I'd sign it over to him,' he said. The ever-helpful Tony was happy to oblige. Of course, Mokbel was not in a position to corroborate his mate because at that time he was sitting in a Greek cell having sailed away from Australia on the yacht, Edwena. Unfortunately, an argumentative lawyer for the prosecution suggested Hafner had handed over the house because he owed Mokbel $360,000 and the property was a square-off. The house was valued about $500,000 at the time, and on June 15, 2001, National Australia Bank records show the house was transferred to Tony, who forgave a $320,000 debt and in return transferred $50,000 to Hafner. Mokbel even paid the $17,000 stamp duty to make it all above board. A detective who worked on the Mokbel case said: 'Tony was the biggest dealer in town, and Darren owed him money from a drug debt. When he couldn't pay, Tony said, 'What have you got?' and that's why he signed over his grandmother's house.' But every cloud has a silver lining, and when the seized house was sold on July 12, 2008, it fetched $625,000, which went to the State Revenue Office. Hafner's story, unlike the Edwena, sank without trace. County Court judge Michael McInerney dismissed the case, adding: 'I do not accept [Hafner] as a credible or reliable witness.' Mokbel could afford to be generous because the Hafner debt was chump change. The suburban pizza shop owner, who police described on his file as 'lacking financial acumen', was now flying. By 2000, he was planning to build an $18 million, 10-storey 'winged keel' apartment tower over Sydney Road. The plan was to build 120 apartments and townhouses, offices, restaurants, a gym with pool and a four-storey car park on the old Whelan the Wrecker site. No one seemed to wonder how he could generate that sort of money. He was also developing 10 units in Templestowe, which he planned to sell for $300,000 each. In 2000, he owned the Brunswick market site and claimed to make $500,000 a year in rent money. His business portfolio was admirably diverse, including investments in shops, cafes, fashion houses, fragrances, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and land in regional Victoria. He and his companies owned two white vans, two Commodores, a red Audi, a 2000 silver Mercedes, a Nissan Skyline and a red Ferrari Roadster, which he bought in September 1999. He even managed to give his wife a Kilmore pub as part of the family businesses. One of his fashion houses was appropriately named LSD – apparently an abbreviation for Love of Style and Design. His social network was also varied. It included an MP, a tame bank manager, a bent accountant, a newsagent who gratefully accepted $20,000 a week that Tony invested in Tattslotto, seven jockeys and trainers, and a handful of bookies. One jockey, who was in Mokbel's car when the drug dealer had a fender-bender with a tradie near the State Library, showed his athletic prowess, opening the door and making a dash for the shadows while a contrite Tony apologised and exchanged details with the second driver. One bookie opened a ghost betting account allowing Mokbel to punt under another name. In one week during the 2002 spring racing carnival, the account turned over $445,000. To Tony, it was just pocket money. The bets were made just weeks after Mokbel was finally granted $1 million bail on the serious drugs charges. When one bookie came to collect $80,000 at Tony's Port Melbourne home, they walked to Mokbel's car, where he opened the glove box. While forward-thinking motorists might have a roll of coins for parking meters, the bookie estimated the wad of stashed cash was 'at least $300,000'. Loading You might think that having lost a house to Mokbel, Hafner would have sought an alternative income stream. But he was nothing if not persistent. He did branch out, receiving workers' compensation for several years, doing cash jobs on the side (despite a bad back), then going on the dole for 10 years while selling drugs and using stolen credit cards in a fraud ring. In 10 court hearings he collected 36 convictions. Act Two, Scene One: The Fawkner cops get the green light The Fawkner detectives built up a case and went to their bosses, and it was at that point Operation Manic was established. Hafner was followed around the state, and soon a case was built that he was the middleman in an international syndicate. Federal police tracked three shipments of pure pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in speed, flown into Australia from Malaysia, India and Dubai, and identified two other key members, Sarah Baines and Abdul Diallo. At one point, police tracked the crew to a Thomastown service station, where they were to buy a kilogram of speed for $165,000. But, in a familiar story in a drug business that is riddled with rip-offs and no-shows, after the initial meeting, the deal fell through. By September, police had enough to move in and arrest the three. The finale: Courtroom justice If everyone has 15 minutes of fame, Baines, 33, must be truly annoyed at how she used hers. When she appeared in court as part of Hafner's syndicate, the Herald Sun wrote: 'A Melbourne party girl who peddled dildos for a living is down on her luck after she was accused of running a high-end drug-trafficking racket.' At court, it was found she had worked in a retail sex shop and ran a cleaning service, and in prison had become an unofficial carer for a disabled inmate. She had been using drugs from her early 20s, and when police raided her Southbank apartment they found evidence of drug transactions, and of the drug, 1,4-butanedoil. Diallo, the court was told, was an African leader in the community, having arrived in Australia as a young refugee from Sierra Leone after his father was murdered. Hafner had been examined in prison. Quoting the psychological report, the judge said: 'You looked and sounded despondent and depressed. You presented as being at least moderately depressed and mildly anxious.' Little wonder when you are looking at a long stretch and could well die in jail When it came to sentencing, no one was spared. County Court judge Richard Maidment gave Diallo 12 years with a minimum of eight years and eight months, while Hafner was sentenced to 12 years with a minimum of eight years and four months. Baines received 11 years with a minimum of seven.
The Age
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
The downfall of a drug racket: An underworld drama
Soon it was obvious that Hafner was a bigger fish than first thought. Hafner had form, not so much in his criminal records but in his associates, including the notorious Tony Mokbel. Act One, Scene Two: A bizarre claim in the County Court In 2007, Hafner went to the County Court to argue that a house in Bulleen that had been seized as part of Tony's impressive real estate portfolio was, in fact, his. He explained that the house had been given to him by his generous grandmother and had somehow been scooped up as part of Mokbel's $55 million asset portfolio. An honest (well dishonest) mistake, he told the County Court. Hafner, you see, was going through a difficult divorce, and he wanted to make sure his partner could not get her hands on half the title. 'My words were that basically I was having domestics with my missus and, basically, I don't know what to do with my grandmother's house, and we ... came to the conclusion that I'd sign it over to him,' he said. The ever-helpful Tony was happy to oblige. Of course, Mokbel was not in a position to corroborate his mate because at that time he was sitting in a Greek cell having sailed away from Australia on the yacht, Edwena. Unfortunately, an argumentative lawyer for the prosecution suggested Hafner had handed over the house because he owed Mokbel $360,000 and the property was a square-off. The house was valued about $500,000 at the time, and on June 15, 2001, National Australia Bank records show the house was transferred to Tony, who forgave a $320,000 debt and in return transferred $50,000 to Hafner. Mokbel even paid the $17,000 stamp duty to make it all above board. A detective who worked on the Mokbel case said: 'Tony was the biggest dealer in town, and Darren owed him money from a drug debt. When he couldn't pay, Tony said, 'What have you got?' and that's why he signed over his grandmother's house.' But every cloud has a silver lining, and when the seized house was sold on July 12, 2008, it fetched $625,000, which went to the State Revenue Office. Hafner's story, unlike the Edwena, sank without trace. County Court judge Michael McInerney dismissed the case, adding: 'I do not accept [Hafner] as a credible or reliable witness.' Mokbel could afford to be generous because the Hafner debt was chump change. The suburban pizza shop owner, who police described on his file as 'lacking financial acumen', was now flying. By 2000, he was planning to build an $18 million, 10-storey 'winged keel' apartment tower over Sydney Road. The plan was to build 120 apartments and townhouses, offices, restaurants, a gym with pool and a four-storey car park on the old Whelan the Wrecker site. No one seemed to wonder how he could generate that sort of money. He was also developing 10 units in Templestowe, which he planned to sell for $300,000 each. In 2000, he owned the Brunswick market site and claimed to make $500,000 a year in rent money. His business portfolio was admirably diverse, including investments in shops, cafes, fashion houses, fragrances, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and land in regional Victoria. He and his companies owned two white vans, two Commodores, a red Audi, a 2000 silver Mercedes, a Nissan Skyline and a red Ferrari Roadster, which he bought in September 1999. He even managed to give his wife a Kilmore pub as part of the family businesses. One of his fashion houses was appropriately named LSD – apparently an abbreviation for Love of Style and Design. His social network was also varied. It included an MP, a tame bank manager, a bent accountant, a newsagent who gratefully accepted $20,000 a week that Tony invested in Tattslotto, seven jockeys and trainers, and a handful of bookies. One jockey, who was in Mokbel's car when the drug dealer had a fender-bender with a tradie near the State Library, showed his athletic prowess, opening the door and making a dash for the shadows while a contrite Tony apologised and exchanged details with the second driver. One bookie opened a ghost betting account allowing Mokbel to punt under another name. In one week during the 2002 spring racing carnival, the account turned over $445,000. To Tony, it was just pocket money. The bets were made just weeks after Mokbel was finally granted $1 million bail on the serious drugs charges. When one bookie came to collect $80,000 at Tony's Port Melbourne home, they walked to Mokbel's car, where he opened the glove box. While forward-thinking motorists might have a roll of coins for parking meters, the bookie estimated the wad of stashed cash was 'at least $300,000'. Loading You might think that having lost a house to Mokbel, Hafner would have sought an alternative income stream. But he was nothing if not persistent. He did branch out, receiving workers' compensation for several years, doing cash jobs on the side (despite a bad back), then going on the dole for 10 years while selling drugs and using stolen credit cards in a fraud ring. In 10 court hearings he collected 36 convictions. Act Two, Scene One: The Fawkner cops get the green light The Fawkner detectives built up a case and went to their bosses, and it was at that point Operation Manic was established. Hafner was followed around the state, and soon a case was built that he was the middleman in an international syndicate. Federal police tracked three shipments of pure pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in speed, flown into Australia from Malaysia, India and Dubai, and identified two other key members, Sarah Baines and Abdul Diallo. At one point, police tracked the crew to a Thomastown service station, where they were to buy a kilogram of speed for $165,000. But, in a familiar story in a drug business that is riddled with rip-offs and no-shows, after the initial meeting, the deal fell through. By September, police had enough to move in and arrest the three. The finale: Courtroom justice If everyone has 15 minutes of fame, Baines, 33, must be truly annoyed at how she used hers. When she appeared in court as part of Hafner's syndicate, the Herald Sun wrote: 'A Melbourne party girl who peddled dildos for a living is down on her luck after she was accused of running a high-end drug-trafficking racket.' At court, it was found she had worked in a retail sex shop and ran a cleaning service, and in prison had become an unofficial carer for a disabled inmate. She had been using drugs from her early 20s, and when police raided her Southbank apartment they found evidence of drug transactions, and of the drug, 1,4-butanedoil. Diallo, the court was told, was an African leader in the community, having arrived in Australia as a young refugee from Sierra Leone after his father was murdered. Hafner had been examined in prison. Quoting the psychological report, the judge said: 'You looked and sounded despondent and depressed. You presented as being at least moderately depressed and mildly anxious.' Little wonder when you are looking at a long stretch and could well die in jail When it came to sentencing, no one was spared. County Court judge Richard Maidment gave Diallo 12 years with a minimum of eight years and eight months, while Hafner was sentenced to 12 years with a minimum of eight years and four months. Baines received 11 years with a minimum of seven.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Gilgo Beach Trial: What Rex Heuermann Was Overheard Telling Lawyer in Court
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Rex Heuermann told his defense attorney she did a "good job" during a hearing on DNA evidence on Tuesday. The comment came after defense attorney Danielle Coysh finished her direct questioning of Nathaniel Adams, a systems engineer at Forensic Bioinformatic Services Inc., Newsday reported. The Context Heuermann, 61, is facing murder charges for the deaths of seven women between 1993 and 2010. He was arrested in 2023 in connection with remains found over a decade prior near Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York. The defense is challenging DNA evidence prosecutors say links Heuermann to six of the seven killings he's charged with. The judge is expected to rule on whether the evidence will be admissible at Heuermann's trial. Alleged Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann appears for a hearing at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York, on April 3, 2025. Alleged Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann appears for a hearing at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York, on April 3, 2025. James Carbone/Newsday via AP What To Know Adams said that California-based lab Astrea Forensics failed to follow some of the nationally accepted verification and validation standards. He also said the developers of the software used in Heuermann's case, IBDGem, have identified data errors and other defects in the system. The software has been updated since testing finished in Heuermann's case, Adams said. Adams said system errors would require a "risk and hazard analysis" to avoid "a miscarriage of justice," the New York Post reported. The prosecution has maintained that the DNA testing used in the case is widely accepted in the scientific community. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney challenged Adams' qualifications, claiming that his testimony has not been admissible in about 30 court cases. Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter, Victoria Heuermann, did not attend the hearing on Tuesday. They have previously attended several of Heuermann's court appearances. Ellerup and Victoria were recently interviewed in the new Peacock documentary series The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. What People Are Saying Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, questioning Nathaniel Adams on Tuesday: "You've been in school for 10 years and have only obtained a bachelor's degree in all this time? You're supposed to be an expert, but you don't even know who your adviser was or if you graduated summa cum laude or not." Nathaniel Adams, discussing DNA testing in court on Tuesday: "It's unreliable. The software has been updated multiple times since the DNA in this case has been tested." What Happens Next The judge has yet to rule on the permissibility of DNA evidence. A date for Heuermann's trial has not been set yet. The defense has requested that the charges be split into five separate trials. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
Florida Man Urinates On Rs 9 Lakh Worth Of Meat Products, Arrested
A Florida man has been apprehended after he peed on Rs 9 lakh ($10,500) worth of perfectly good Spam and Vienna sausages. The man, identified as Patrick Francis Mitchell, took a leak in aisle 18 of the Sam's Club in Lady Lake, an Orlando area town, according to a report in New York Post A witness spotted Mitchell relieving himself and reported the incident to store employees. After the peeing incident, Mitchell was seen casually walking to he snack section of the store and sat on patio furniture for about 10 minutes, before he walked over to the register, paid for his items and left the store. After going through the surveillance footage and membership records, Mitchell was identified. A detective from the police department used Mitchell's Sam's Club ID and matched it with the store surveillance imagery and ultimately Mitchell's photograph on his Florida driver's license. He was arrested at his home in Piedmont, where he lived with his wife in a retirement community called "Florida's Friendliest Hometown". "Behavior consistent with urination," reported Marion County Detective Ronnie Williams. Afterwards, the store concluded that because the products had been contaminated with bodily fluid, they would need to be thrown out. In total, the 70-year-old retiree ruined 188 bulk units of Vienna sausages and 345 units of canned Spam Classic. Watch: Tourist Destroys Crystal-Studded 'Van Gogh' Chair By Sitting On it Social media reacts Reacting to the news, social media users demanded that the authorities adequately punish Mitchell for his actions. "Convict this miscreant and give it jail time and lighten his retirement savings with a hefty fine," said one user, while another added: "Ah, welcome back Florida Man. It's been about a week." A third commented: "When you gotta go you gotta go! But honestly, feel for the store and its losses." Mitchell has entered a plea of not guilty to a felony charge of criminal mischief at the Lake County Court, where he is being represented by criminal defence attorney Bobby Rumalla. He currently remains free on a Rs 2.5 lakh ($3,000) bond.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania man sentenced to three consecutive life terms in triple homicide
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — A Pennsylvania man accused of killing his sister, stepmother, and the mother of his children will spend the rest of his life behind bars, sentenced to three consecutive life term without parole. Andre Gordon, Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of first degree murder, as well as charges of attempted homicide, burglary, aggravated assault, and robbery, among others. He was set to face trial in Bucks County Court for the March 16, 2024 killings of his 13-year-old sister, his 52-year-old stepmother Karen Gordon and his 25-year-old girlfriend, Taylor Daniel. PREVIOUS COVERAGE > Man faces charges in two states after alleged killings of family members in Pennsylvania This happened in Falls Township in eastern Bucks County, near Morrisville and across the Delaware River from Trenton, New Jersey. Gordon was accused of carjacking a vehicle in that city, driving to his father's residence and breaking in, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. Karen Gordon and her 13-year-old daughter were found dead by Falls Township Police responding to a reported shooting there. He then went to Daniel's home, authorities said, alleging that he forced his way into the home and shot and killed her. Multiple members of the family, including their two children, were present and Daniel's mother, Nancy, was assaulted in the act. In Morrisville shortly after, he was accused of carjacking another vehicle at the Dollar General. Gordon was sentenced Wednesday by President Judge Raymond F. McHugh to three life terms without parole on the first-degree murder charges and 156 1/2 years to 313 years on the remaining charges. The sentences are to run consecutively. Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices 'There are no words to explain why this happened,' McHugh said in the sentencing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
