Dubai restaurateur named in drug inquiry
Any crime in UAE will be dealt with before men can be sent to Australia
The owner of a healthy-eating restaurant in Dubai has been named by Australian police as the head of a gang accused of trying to smuggle 1.8 tonnes of drugs.
Koder Jomaa, 47, was arrested on Monday night with four other men believed to be involved, as part of an international operation across three countries.
Australian Jomaa owns The Fit Kitchen restaurant in Jumeirah Lakes Towers and is said to be a regular gym-goer in nearby Almas Tower.
“We allege this man was actually the head of the syndicate. He is well-known to law enforcement and previously thought that he could flee from authorities and conduct his criminal enterprise offshore,” Australian federal police assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan said.
The Jomaa family in Sydney are alleged to have been involved in drug crime for years, police there said, and two of his brothers, Ali and Abbas, were among those arrested in raids in Sydney.
He and four others could face months behind bars before they find out whether they will be extradited to their native Australia to stand trial.
Lawyers in the UAE said authorities would have to first establish whether any of the alleged crimes were committed in this country or if any proceeds of such crimes were used to acquire assets here.
If so, legal action in Dubai would take precedence over any move to extradite, said Yousef Al Bahar, a lawyer.
Alleged Australian drug gangsters arrested on the streets of Dubai could face months behind bars before they are extradited to face justice in their home country, lawyers said.
Five men were arrested late on Monday night in a joint sting operation between international law enforcement and Dubai Police as part of an alleged plot to smuggle 1.8 tonnes of drugs into Australia.
Police are now investigating what links the men had here, and if any of their assets in the country were obtained with illicit funds.
Emirati lawyer Yousuf Al Bahar said the men could face a long wait behind bars in Dubai before their case is heard.
“Investigators will have to look at what crimes, if any, have been committed here in the UAE before these men are considered for extradition,” he said. “There will have to be a court judgment made here, 100 per cent. It will take time, because they will have to check on the background of the men, and what they have been doing in Dubai.
“It is a long procedure, and could take two to three months to see if any charges need to be brought here.”
The haul of MDMA, cocaine and crystal meth seized by authorities in the Netherlands was said to have a street value of about A$810 million (Dh2.4 billion).
Operation Veyda, as it was named, was led by Australian federal police, with assistance from UAE authorities and the American Drug Enforcement Agency.
“If there are businesses or assets here in the UAE that are related to drugs and the investigation, they can be lost,” Mr Al Bahar said.
“Everything related to any criminal activity and drugs can be blocked.
“This is an international case, but Dubai authorities will be heavily involved in this.”
The men are understood to have been arrested shortly after dining out in Dubai Marina.
Meanwhile, the Australian joint organised crime group (JOCG) was raiding homes across Sydney, where they seized 80 kilograms of cocaine, $2.7m in cash and various firearms.
It is not the first time international gangland activity has spilt out into the tourist hot spot of Dubai Marina.
In May last year, a Turkish man was shot seven times in his car in what was thought to be a revenge killing.
A source at Dubai’s public prosecutor’s office said the attorney general was hoping to fast-track some of the Australian men’s extradition from Dubai.
In such cases, the procedure is to hand suspects over if their crimes were not committed in any part of the UAE.
Prosecutors are yet to receive any instruction regarding this particular case. If that changes, an investigation must be carried out to determine if the suspects committed any crime here. If not, they will be handed over to Australian authorities.
A decision on extradition will be made by a senior official at the office of Dubai’s attorney general.
One of those arrested and now facing trafficking allegations is Koder Jomaa, an Australian of Middle East descent, listed as the owner of the Fit Food Kitchen in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
He was one of the five arrested in Dubai by the police anti-narcotics department, assisted by Australian federal police and New South Wales police force detectives.
Jomaa, 47, could face extradition in relation to alleged drug importation offences, while his brothers Ali and Abbas were among eight others arrested by police in Sydney over their alleged role in the smuggling ring. The gang is also accused of smuggling 50 million cigarettes into Australia and being actively engaged in global money laundering.
An internal investigation is also under way at the Australian border force after claims that the gang had customs officials working for them.
AFP co-ordinator of organised crime and cyber crime, Det Supt Stephen Dametto, said the operation required an unheralded degree of collaboration because of the global reach of organised crime in Australia.
“This operation is a warning to organised crime targeting Australia that hiding on the other side of the world won’t save you,” he said.
“Once you are in our sights, we will focus our efforts on causing you and your predatory criminal activities as much damage as possible.
“AFP’s international network has enabled investigators to work closely with our partners in the UAE to destroy this syndicate. Without their help, we would not have been able to achieve the results we have to arrest the top players in this syndicate.”
This is an international case, but Dubai authorities will be heavily involved