OFF THE WIRE
Vanda Carson
Source: dailytelegraph.com.au/
TWO members of the Hells Angels bikie gang have asked NSW Police to pick up their $45,000 legal bill after extortion charges were dropped.
In Burwood Local Court yesterday, lawyers for Nonda Stamatakis and Jeffrey Sahyoun said that they should be compensated because they were prosecuted "without reasonable cause".
They argued police relied on the word of luxury car dealer Terry Mullens who they claimed was an unreliable witness.
But the police officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Jonathan Woods, said the case was dropped because the key witness, Mr Mullens, was threatened on April 3.
The threats followed the firebombing of a Bentley at his Five Dock dealership.
Michael Pickin, a barrister acting for Mr Stamatakis, told the court that Mr Mullens allegedly laundered money for cocaine dealers in 2008.
He said this allegation was made by a crown witness, a convicted drug dealer, during a trial involving a cocaine shipment last year.
Mr Mullens would offer to "clean" drug money in return for a 10 per cent fee, making dirty cash look like a loan.
He did this for a drug dealer named Alberto Garza-Vasquez, who is awaiting sentence for importing 100kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of $20 million, Mr Pickin said. He said the drug dealer had gone to Mr Mullens' car dealership four times, including once with Garza-Vasquez.
Mr Mullens' car dealership was also watched by police investigating the drugs syndicate and the drug dealer told the Crime Commission that he intended to give Mr Mullens cocaine.
Mr Mullens was also convicted of fraud in 1995, the court heard.
Mr Stamatakis was charged with trying to extort $120,000 from Mr Mullens by threatening him at a meeting at a Potts Point cafe on July 8 last year, while Mr Sahyoun was charged with membership of a criminal group after attendeding Mr Mullens' car dealership when threats were allegedly made by other gang members.
Prosecutor Daniel McMahon said the Hells Angels members should not benefit because the crown witness was too afraid to give evidence. Magistrate Michael Price reserved his decision.
