Ham was the cop code for $20,000 cash

Lisa Davies From: The Daily Telegraph March 31, 2011 5:12am

Source: The Daily Telegraph

A FORMER top policeman was allegedly given a "special" Christmas ham, along with $20,000 cash.

Former AFP officer and NSW Crime Commission assistant director Mark Standen is accused of conspiring with Bakhos "Bill" Jalalaty and a former informant, James Henry Kinch, to import 300kg of the drug pseudoephedrine.

He denies any involvement in the conspiracy, his lawyer telling a Supreme Court jury that he believed he was only helping the pair to import rice.

But with the second importation of rice apparently en route, allegedly containing the pseudoephedrine, Jalalaty and Standen were heard discussing their festive plans.

In a tapped mobile phone conversation on December 14, 2007, Standen tells Jalalaty: "I need to give you a Christmas ham from B52, a nice Christmas ham, oh you know, our famous Christmas hams."

The court has heard B52 was a code-name for Kinch.

After the call was played to the jury, Federal Agent Paul Watt told the court there was a ham, but also $20,00

Shipment 'down the back of the container', Standen case tape says

Source "The Age" Geesche Jacobsen March 30, 2011

A FORMER Crime Commission investigator, Mark Standen, allegedly advised Bill Jalalaty, an accused co-conspirator, on how to deal with the next shipment they were expecting, according to a conversation played to a Supreme Court jury.

''It's not good when people know it comes in rice,'' he allegedly told Mr Jalalaty during a meeting, secretly recorded at a city cafe in November 2007.

Mr Standen is accused of conspiring with Mr Jalalaty and another man to import pseudoephedrine and pervert the course of justice. The prosecution alleges the men were expecting the drug precursor to be contained in their second shipment of rice.

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In the conversation played in Mr Standen's trial yesterday, Mr Jalalaty allegedly told Mr Standen he was expecting ''60 bags of five kilos'' within a container of 4500 bags before Christmas.

Mr Standen said: ''Right down the back of the container … hopefully.''

As they continued their discussion, Mr Jalalaty said: ''That's a lot of money … 30 million … that's worth more than 100,000 a kilo.'' Mr Standen replied: ''Why wouldn't they just stop? - No more risk.''

A little later Mr Jalalaty allegedly told Mr Standen that a bald man would be coming to pick up ''those'' bags.

But Mr Standen advised him: ''He shouldn't take the rice bags.'' He then allegedly advised Mr Jalalaty to tell the man: ''Why can't you take it so that it can't be traced back here, so if something goes wrong no one knows.''

Mark Standen awaited arrival of Christmas 'gifts'

AS Christmas 2007 approached, Mark Standen and his alleged co-conspirator were in pretty high spirits, a court heard yesterday.
 

They had been told by their overseas contacts that there were "presents" in the mail.

The Supreme Court was told they were allegedly referring to a planned importation of the drug pseudoephedrine, used to make the illicit drugs speed and ice.

Standen, who has pleaded not guilty to three charges, allegedly used code names and draft emails to communicate with alleged co-conspirator James Kinch.

In one email tendered to court, written in early December, Kinch allegedly told Standen he was "trying to get all the presents in early so as not to get caught up in the last-minute panic!!"

In a recorded conversation a week or so later, when Standen met alleged co-conspirator Bakhos "Bill" Jalalaty in a coffee shop near his NSW Crime Commission offices, they allegedly discussed the emails, referring to "B52", which the court has previously heard was Kinch's nickname. "Yeah I'm sweating, he said to me ... 'I am trying to get some, trying to get some Christmas presents in the post'," Standen said.

Jalalaty said he had "already paid for the next container" and Standen replies: "That's what he said, I'm working on the Christmas presents plural, not just one."Standen added: "It looks like we will have a nice Christmas."

The case continues.