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Sydney tow truck driver Joseph Abourizk faces life in Fijian jail

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

Frumious Bandersnatch
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A Sydney tow truck driver is facing life imprisonment in Fiji after what he claims was a dream holiday gone terribly wrong.

The lawyers for Joseph Abourizk, 30, say his decision to take a charter boat cruise off the west coast of Fiji has resulted in the unimaginable.

He has spent the last nine months in jail and missed the birth of his first child – a baby girl called Penelope.

Mr Abourizk was arrested in July last year after he was allegedly caught with almost 50 kilograms of cocaine packed in two suitcases at Vuda Marina.

But he claims he had absolutely no idea that the suitcases he was found with contained $15 million worth of drugs.

Mr Abourizk's Australian solicitor, Warwick Korn, of Korn MacDougall Legal, has argued during a recent trial that his client was exploited by the captain of a charter boat.

The defence case is that Mr Abourizk decided to take a tour off the coast of Vuda with a Fijian local on July 13, 2015.

Before boarding the boat the captain of the vessel asked Mr Abourizk to collect some equipment with him.

Mr Abourizk's case is that he agreed and then he travelled to the nearby town of Ba with the captain and Fijian man Josese Muriwaqa.

The captain then loaded two suitcases into the back of the car and the trio headed back to Vuda to take a boat out for a day trip.

When the group were driving back to the marina, the captain got out of the car shortly before Mr Abourizk and Mr Muriwaqa were arrested by Fijian police.

He and Mr Muriwaqa were each charged with one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs.

"His position is very simple – he had no idea what was in the captain's bags," Mr Korn told Fairfax Media.

"This has been a horror story for Joseph, the true depths of which I cannot comment on at present. For now we are focused on his acquittal and bringing him home," he said.

"This is a man that's never been charged with a criminal offence before."

Mr Korn told Fairfax media that Mr Abourizk and his wife Karla had been holidaying in Fiji before his arrest.

His wife went home early because of work commitments, and the next day Mr Abourizk was arrested.

The prosecution's case is that the Australian was paid money by the captain to move the drugs.

Mr Abourizk is represented by Mr Korn, Sydney barrister Murugan Thangaraj, SC, and Lautoka lawyer Iqbal Khan.

His trial began in the High Court in Lautoka on March 29 before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe.

He has been in jail since his arrest.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said they were providing assistance.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance in accordance with the Consular Services Charter to an Australian man who was arrested in Fiji.

"For privacy reasons we are unable to provide any further information on this matter."

It is expected a verdict will be handed down later this week.


Source: http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydn...aces-life-in-fijian-jail-20160417-go89t8.html
 
yeah lol.. you dont hear about too many drug busts from fiji. I recall there was a huge meth lab there that got busted ages ago.

This guy sounds like he's up shit creek, but you never know what lawyers can do.
 
True, guilty or not I believe that will all depend on how effective his lawyers can be.
Tough situation he is in.
 
He sounds guilty tbh. Who would charter a boat then jump in a car with a couple locals to go get something? I could be wrong though. I hope he gets off either way. I bet Fiji prisons aren't up to western standards.
 
Yeah, i've been to fiji 4 times I think, and I have done shit like that. Even though it was 10 + years ago, when I was there I was getting in loads of cars and mini busses as I could pay them like 20 bucks and they'd drive me around half the day and do whatever, goto the beach, out on a boat, get food and have a bbq or picnic etc.

I bought some weed a few times off locals there. Shitty weed, but it was really cheap and at least it was actually weed.
 
cj said:
He sounds guilty tbh. Who would charter a boat then jump in a car with a couple locals to go get something? I could be wrong though. I hope he gets off either way. I bet Fiji prisons aren't up to western standards.
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How does a tow truck driver end up with 15 mil in coke.. somethings not making sense to me.
 
neversickanymore said:
How does a tow truck driver end up with 15 mil in coke.. somethings not making sense to me.
Click to expand...

Same way this happens? -

Sydney construction worker Peter Gardner will soon learn if he is to face death by firing squad for trying to smuggle $25 million of methamphetamine in suitcases through Guangzhou Airport in China.
Click to expand...
 
So a aussie tow truck driver pretends to vacation in fiji and hires a pleasure cruise to go out and deliver 50 kilograms of coke to a smuggler out at sea..

I'm thinking it was the boat captain and he was using the charter as a cover for his operations and this poor bastard got utterly screwed
 
Yeah who knows, he might have organised to go out onto the cruiser to take delivery of that coke to bring back to Aus on a plane? Not sure yet.
 
Before boarding the boat the captain of the vessel asked Mr Abourizk to collect some equipment with him.

Mr Abourizk's case is that he agreed and then he travelled to the nearby town of Ba with the captain and Fijian man Josese Muriwaqa.

The captain then loaded two suitcases into the back of the car and the trio headed back to Vuda to take a boat out for a day trip.
Click to expand...

From this account that does not seem to be the case. Seems more likely the captain was useing the pleasure cruzes as a front for running blow.
 
My friend who goes to Fiji a fair bit says he is most likely to end up staying at Suva jail which is a nasty place.

On another note the most audacious way I've seen someone trying to smuggle drugs out at sea was through entering a yacht race. Supposedly when a fleet of yachts come back to a country after a race they don't even bother checking them.

I found the article here if you are up for a read:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/when...d-bring-down-oliver-ortiz-20131124-2y4n5.html
 
neversickanymore said:
So a aussie tow truck driver pretends to vacation in fiji and hires a pleasure cruise to go out and deliver 50 kilograms of coke to a smuggler out at sea..

I'm thinking it was the boat captain and he was using the charter as a cover for his operations and this poor bastard got utterly screwed
Click to expand...

This.

I'd say either way there isn't enough evidence (portrayed by this article at least) that the guy should be found guilty and jailed for life.
 
Not enough evidence? The guy was caught with suitcases with 50 kilos of coke in them, and this is his defence? -

Mr Abourizk was arrested in July last year after he was allegedly caught with almost 50 kilograms of cocaine packed in two suitcases at Vuda Marina.

But he claims he had absolutely no idea that the suitcases he was found with contained $15 million worth of drugs.
Click to expand...

I'd say he is fucked.

But it'll be interesting to see what his lawyers can do.

The tow truck industry in Australia is renowned for being involved with organised crime.
 
poledriver said:
Not enough evidence? The guy was caught with suitcases with 50 kilos of coke in them, and this is his defence? -



I'd say he is fucked.

But it'll be interesting to see what his lawyers can do.

The tow truck industry in Australia is renowned for being involved with organised crime.
Click to expand...

Not to mention some how the tow truck drivers always show up to a crash scene before the cops, ambo's or firefighters do.
 
poledriver said:
Not enough evidence? The guy was caught with suitcases with 50 kilos of coke in them, and this is his defence? -



I'd say he is fucked.

But it'll be interesting to see what his lawyers can do.

The tow truck industry in Australia is renowned for being involved with organised crime.
Click to expand...

Yes but his story seems to check out. How can they prove that is not the case?

I agree he will likely be found guilty of course. What I mean was there is not enough there to convince me he actually was.

Don't carry suitcases for strangers in foreign countries I guess :\
 
Sydney father Joseph Abourizk faces life in Fiji after 50kg cocaine conviction

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A Sydney father is "crushed" at the prospect of spending the rest of his life in a Fijian jail after a court on Friday found him guilty of drug possession.

Tow truck driver Joseph Abourizk, 30, continues to maintain his innocence even though a judge found that he was guilty of possessing two suitcases filled with almost 50 kilograms of cocaine.

His wife, Karla, said that how she was feeling was "beyond words".

"There was no doubt in our minds he was returning home," Mrs Abourizk told Fairfax Media from her home in Sydney.

"Now my husband spends the next year awaiting a fair reopening of this matter in a Third World country away from his wife, family and daughter whose birth was robbed of him."

On Wednesday, five assessors in the High Court of Fiji at Lautoka unanimously found Abourizk not guilty of unlawful possession of illicit drugs.

Joseph Abourizk hugs his mother after being found guilty of drug possession by a Fijian court. Photo: Supplied

Assessors are the equivalent of professional jurors and they give their opinion to a judge.

But judges are not bound by their decisions.

On Friday morning, Justice Thushara Rajasinghe found Abourizk was guilty and will sentence him next Thursday. The maximum sentence is life.

"He's crushed, we're all crushed," his Sydney lawyer Warwick Korn told Fairfax Media from Fiji.

"Every single one of the assessors who heard the evidence found him not guilty and yet next week he will be sentenced," Mr Korn said.

"It's very difficult to comprehend."

Abourizk has been in jail for nine months and missed the recent birth of his first child, a daughter named Penelope.

He was arrested in July last year after he was pulled over in a car by police near Vuda Marina.

In the boot police found two suitcases containing $15 million worth of cocaine.

Abourizk's lawyers - Mr Korn, Sydney barrister Murugan Thangaraj, SC, and Lautoka lawyer Iqbal Khan - argued during a recent trial that their client was exploited by the captain of a charter boat.

The defence case was that Abourizk decided to take a boat tour off the coast of Vuda with a Fijian local on July 13, 2015.

Before boarding the boat, the captain of the vessel asked Abourizk to collect some equipment with him.

Abourizk's case is that he agreed and then he travelled to the nearby town of Ba with the captain and Fijian man Josese Muriwaqa.

The captain then loaded two suitcases into the back of the car and the trio headed back to Vuda to take a boat out for a day trip.

When the group were driving back to the marina, the captain got out of the car shortly before Abourizk and Mr Muriwaqa were arrested by Fijian police.

He and Mr Muriwaqa were each charged with one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs.

"His position is very simple - he had no idea what was in the captain's bags," Mr Korn told Fairfax Media.

Abourizk and his wife had been holidaying in Fiji before his arrest.

His wife went home early because of work commitments, and the next day Abourizk was arrested.

The prosecution's case is that the Australian was paid money by the captain to move the drugs.

- http://www.smh.com.au/world/sydney-...conviction-20160422-gocltd.html#ixzz46aESpYnX
 
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