A Sydney man allegedly caught with $1 billion of cocaine moments after police arrested his would-be kidnappers has been denied bail after failing to convince a court he was addicted to drugs.
Police claim Hussein Hamed Habeeb, 25, was the target of a kidnap plot after four members of a splinter cell were arrested in December 2023.
They were spotted dressed in black sitting in a Toyota Yaris in the underground car park of his Ryde apartment block.
Officers searching the unit, which had been leased in Habeeb's name, found 734kg of cocaine worth an estimated $1 billion.
The 25-year-old allegedly tried to flee by jumping off a balcony.
He is facing two counts of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug as well as counts of participation in criminal group, failure to comply with a digital evidence access order direction, and dealing with property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime.
During a NSW Supreme Court bail hearing on Thursday, defence barrister Peter Lange argued his client was addicted to cocaine and should be released to undergo rehabilitation.
Habeeb's former partner Paris Pashidis gave evidence she never saw him take the drug while they dated from 2016 to 2018.
However, she saw him acting suspiciously, going to people's homes and driving around at all hours of the morning.
His current partner Dayna Risati told the court she had dated Habeeb for around a year and had seen him carrying multiple bags of white powder.
Appearing by video-link from Silverwater prison, the alleged drug trafficker watched as Mr Lange argued his behaviour was consistent with someone hiding drug addiction.
Cocaine clearly caused significant strain on his relationships, Justice Stephen Rothman heard.
Habeeb had been accepted into a six-month rehabilitation program at a facility where he could remain supervised and get the help he required, Mr Lange said.
Regarding the crown case, the barrister argued that while the 26-year-old's name was on the lease of the unit where the drugs were found, there remained questions about his role.
Whether he actually possessed the 738kg of cocaine or was just a "runner" for someone else had not yet been proven, he said.
Mr Lange proposed bail conditions including wearing an ankle bracelet, imposing a curfew and a $200,000 surety.
The crown prosecutor said bail should be refused, calling the allegations incredibly serious.
Habeeb's DNA had been found on blocks of cocaine seized from the unit, she said.
There was also very limited evidence about the 26-year-old's claimed drug addiction, with the prosecutor arguing his behaviour was more consistent with drug supply than use.
She said the proposed rehab centre also had its issues, including the lack of qualifications of the owner and the vague treatment plans proffered.
Even with a $200,000 surety, there was a risk Habeeb would try flee if on bail, especially since he had tried to escape police just before his arrest, she said.
Justice Rothman denied bail after questioning whether Habeeb was actually addicted to drugs.
He noted that despite being in custody since December 2023, there was no evidence the 25-year-old had suffered withdrawal symptoms.
"Frankly, I am not convinced that the applicant in fact has the kind of addiction that requires rehabilitation," he said.
There were also concerns about how well he could be watched in rehab given the significant flight risk Habeeb posed due to his potential criminal associations in Australia and overseas, the judge said.
He will next appear before court on January 17.
