THE two arrests of a man charged with drug supply were “strikingly similar”, including the fact he was in a hire car in which amphetamine and then cannabis were found by police, Wagga Local Court has been told.
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The claim was made by police prosecutor, Sergeant Priscilla Jones, in opposing a bail application made on behalf of accused man Farhang Jabal Amell by solicitor Tim Hemsley on Monday.
Amell, 28, of Stanhope Gardens in Sydney’s north west, was allegedly caught with 4.46 kilograms of cannabis leaf worth $89,000 at Gillenbah, near Narrandera, about 10am on April 7.
He was charged with (deemed) supply of a prohibited drug and the back-up charge of possessing a prohibited drug.
Amell is also charged with supplying amphetamine and methamphetamine at Waterloo in inner Sydney on March 14.
He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
The court heard that Amell had failed at his first bid for bail on April 8, the day after his arrest at Gillenbah, but Mr Hemsley put to the court there had been a change of circumstances since then to allow a fresh application, including the withdrawal of an unrelated intimidation charge that was on foot in April.
Magistrate Michael Crompton accepted there was a change of circumstances and heard the new application.
Mr Hemsley put to the court that police did not have a strong case against Amell – he was a passenger in a car that did not belong to him, there were other people in the vehicle, there was no forensic material tying him to the cannabis leaf that was “secreted” in the car and he had made no admissions.
In opposing bail, Sergeant Jones drew Mr Crompton’s attention to common factors in the alleged offences, including the use of hire cars, and said bail for Amell would present an unacceptable risk of committing further offences and endangering the community.
In granting bail, Mr Crompton said notwithstanding the serious nature of the Gillenbah allegations, he was satisfied the bail risks could be addressed by conditions, including daily reporting to Parramatta police, Amell agreeing to forfeit $2000 and no contact with an alleged co-accused in both matters.
The Gillenbah matter was adjourned to Narrandera Local Court on June 24, while the Waterloo matter will be mentioned in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on July 18.
