Bikie and tow truck driver jailed over plot to sell 3kg of meth that never existed

A senior bikie and a tow truck driver have both been jailed for more than eight years after being caught in a sting that they believed involved 3kg of meth — but in fact saw them spill their secrets to a string of undercover police. In 2021, Nabil Hannouf was driving a tow truck around Perth — while also telling his contacts he was “a man about town” — connected links to plenty of people, including members of bikie gangs. One of those was Adams, a long-time patched senior member of the Gypsy Jokers, who was arrested and charged with unrelated offences in one of the raids launched following the 2020 assassination of Rebels boss Nick Martin. In 2021, Adams was back on the street and back in business, in touch with Hannouf about potential deals. And Hannouf, having completed an agreement over ten pounds of cannabis with a new contact, was happy to make an introduction. Unbeknown to both, that new contact was an undercover police operative, posing as a drug importer keen to offload his product. In a series of meetings, the trio agreed that 3kg of meth would change hands for hundreds of thousands of dollars, with Hannouf getting a $10,000 commission per kilogram. On March 3, 2022, at a property in Kelmscott, Adams took delivery of what he believed was a stash of the deadly drug. $48,500 was handed over, with the promise of another $50,000 to follow. What he actually took possession of was a batch of fake narcotics. What followed then was a police raid, an arrest, and a load of drug charges. Simultaneously, in West Perth, Hannouf left his truck unlocked at the side of the road. Another undercover cop placed $30,000 on the front passenger seat — and when the 43-year-old came back he was also dramatically arrested. Two years on, the pair were set to challenge the charges at trial. Days in, they changed their pleas, after a deal was struck with prosecutors. But the legal argument did not end there. Lawyers for both men argued that if not for police, they would not have become involved — with Adams’ barrister David Grace KC using the word “entrapment”. “This is not your normal case of entrapment — where you have a dealer on the street or elsewhere selling to an undercover. Actual drugs,” he said. “This is a case where the police have a wide brief … the undercovers had a roving brief to try and ensnare … those disposed to engage in this very serious unlawful criminal activity of disseminating illicit drugs in the community. “(And) inert substances can be used. There is no prospect of any illegal drugs being disseminated into the community and causing the harm.” “What really is being punished ultimately is the guilty intent, the guilty mind.” Mr Grace said Adams was “hardworking … a good friend and neighbour … a loyal person.” “He’s helped coach the junior football team for eight years in Roleystone. He’s made significant contributions to the community … and yes, he has been a member of the Gypsy Jokers.” Lindsay Allan-McConchie, for Hannouf, pointed to his significant health issues and family problems — with his loved ones stuck in Lebanon until days before his sentencing. Judge Linda Black accepted that hardship “must haunt you day and night as you sit in prison”. “The reality ... is you were the idiot who engaged in this kind of conduct, and they’re the other victims of it,” she said. “Mr Hannouf was the first one to meet the undercover operative, he was the introducer, the facilitator, the man to source people to buy. “Mr Adams … was a man willing to come into possession of three kilograms of methylamphetamine and on distributing the community. “(But) this ended up being a sham, a fake transaction that the police effectively set up so as to catch people willing to deal in drugs.” Judge Black said the pair needed to be punished for their intent, and their actions. But she said their jail time would be reduced because the risk to the community was lessened by the fact there were no actual drugs. “It seems to me you were just all doing what you wanted to do to make money, to make it quickly, to make it easily, and with no concern for the harm that you would bring to the community were it a real transaction,” she said. Judge Black jailed both men for eight and half years, with parole eligibility. “The sentencing of Adams and his associate, Nabil Ali Hannouf, are further evidence shattering the myth that members of bikie gangs are harmless motorcycle enthusiasts,” State Crime Commander Gordon Fairman told The West Australian. “The Gypsy Jokers has a long history of violence and intimidation, and have strong links to other Serious & Organised Crime Groups, not just in Australia but across the world. “WA Police will continue to do everything within our power to protect the community from the dangers outlaw motorcycle gangs pose.”