Disgraced former NRL player Jamil Hopoate was paid $7000 to act as a courier as part of a conspiracy to smuggle over $100m worth of drugs into Australia, a court has heard.
The son of rugby league bad boy John Hopoate on Tuesday appeared before a sentence hearing inside Sydney’s Downing District Court after he was caught in a police sting.
Hopoate was arrested in May 2021 after he climbed inside a truck linked to a massive cocaine haul - estimated by police to have a street value of $154m - at Port Botany in May 2021 before leading police on a brief chase.
Hopoate has pleaded guilty to one count of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and will next week learn his fate.
The 27-year-old was flanked by a large group of supporters, including his partner, in court on Tuesday.
He also carried a small bag containing several person items including a weekly shopping list and a roll-on deodorant.
He will be sentenced next week, however arrived at court on Tuesday carrying a number of his personal possessions, bracing for the small chance that he could have been given a jail term on Tuesday afternoon.
Hopoate’s barrister Greg James KC argued that he shouldn’t be sent to jail and could serve any sentence in the community by way of a corrections order.
Mr James likened his role to a dial-a-dealer in terms of its seriousness and said that he was not in line to receive a share of the profits from the ringleaders.
The court heard that he was suffering from long-term drug, alcohol and gambling addictions and was paid $7000 for his role in retrieving part of the drug shipment.
“It’s not a salary, it’s a one shot payment,” Mr James said.
He was arrested after police intercepted a consignment of drugs arriving at Sydney airport from London consisting of six metal toolboxes stuffed with cocaine.
Police have alleged that the shipment contained 568.7kg worth of drugs.
Officers from NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police reconstructed the toolboxes and swapped out the drugs for an inert substance.
The consignment was returned to Matraville where surveillance devices were installed.
Police said the truck was parked at Pagewood and Hopoate jumped in the back tray about 10.38am and closed the doors behind him.
After six minutes in the truck, Hopoate exited carrying a black backpack and jumped in the passenger seat of a silver Hyundai iLoad van being driven by Leanne Mafoa.
According to court documents, officers blocked their path, as Hopoate yelled “drive, drive drive”.
Police opened the passenger door and tried to drag Hopoate out as Mafoa reversed the van.
As the car mounted the kerb, Hopoate jumped out and threw away the backpack before himself jumping a number of fences across multiple homes before he was caught.
The court heard that officers found eight 1kg blocks of the fake substance in his backpack.
His co-accused Mafoa also pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact to supplying a prohibited drug.
Mr James said Hopoate was not aware that the cocaine had been switched out.
“It was not a drug. He might have thought it was, but in fact there were no drugs there,” Mr James told the court on Tuesday.
Both Hopoate and Mafoa will be sentenced next Thursday.
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