An accused drug trafficker arrested after the international AN0M app sting has lost an attempt to loosen his bail conditions so he can work as a courier.
George Chambour's bid to remove strict requirements to report his location and impose only a night-time curfew was rejected in the NSW Supreme Court after the judge noticed the 37-year-old's desire to work at delivery firm StarTrack.
"Being a courier sounds like a really good opportunity to me to traffick in methylamphetamine," said Justice Desmond Fagan on Thursday.
Chambour is facing one count of conspiring to traffic in a commercial quantity in excess of 60kg of methylamphetamine and one count of dealing with suspected proceeds of crime less than $100,000.
The Roselands man was arrested in June 2021 as part of Operation Ironside, an international police sting which used the AN0M app as a trojan horse to monitor alleged drug trafficking.
Chambour was initially refused bail in the District Court but applied on two separate occasions in the NSW Supreme Court to vary these conditions, first being placed under strict house arrest and later permitting time out of home for day-time employment.
On Thursday, Chambour's barrister Greg James KC sought a third variation of the bail conditions, saying his client could not report where he was 24-hours ahead of time if he was to work as a delivery person.
The accused trafficker has already agreed to pay for electronic monitoring of his movements.
The court heard these costs plus an additional $3000 in mortgage repayments on an investment property due to rising interest rates required more freedom so Chambour could work to support himself and his pregnant wife.
Mr James also pointed to the delay in the Sydney man's case going to trial as a result of what he described as "a class action by way of committal proceeding" with 36 individuals challenging evidence secured through the AN0M app.
Questions have been raised as to whether material secured through the encrypted messaging app was legally obtained by police and is admissible in multiple criminal cases against accused drug traffickers.
Justice Fagan refused to grant the more lenient bail conditions sought, saying that Chambour had previously discussed fleeing the country.
"I'm not prepared to liberalise the conditions as you seek. It's just, you know, that evidence concerning his planned flight is significant."
The matter will be back in Downing Centre District Court on December 14.
