Marius Sabau: Judge labels Mongol boss ‘coward’ before handing massive 16-year jail term for drug syndicate

The former boss of the Perth Mongols has been labelled “cowardly” by a WA judge before being hit with a massive jail term for running a sophisticated drug operation. Marius Sabau, 48, was jailed for 16 years on Tuesday in the Perth District Court for overseeing the 2020 drug plot while he was president of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle club’s Perth chapter. Sabau was found guilty on three offences by a jury on charges including possessing a trafficable quantity of methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply — which carries a maximum term of life imprisonment — after the dramatic police sting culminated in the seizure of 1kg of meth, 3kg of cocaine and more than $98,000 of cash. Police caught Sabau after bugging a Toyota Rav4 car and planting microphones and cameras in the roof space of an Airbnb in Balga. On Tuesday, Judge Linda Black told Sabau that he took advantage of club associate Cathy Patricia McFarland to help run his drug ring, which put her in jail for 13 years after she pleaded guilty to offences. “You used your position in the Mongols to carry out your drug dealing activity,” Judge Black said. “She loved you, she liked you, she liked the lifestyle you were leading. “She was fearful about what would happen if she disobeyed you. “The way you would cut her off and speak to her, I have no doubt that there was a degree of fear she had, undoubtedly, in combination with love.” Judge Black also said Sabau “sacrificed” his “brother” to assist his drug scheme, referring to patched Mongol Dre Frazier Collard-Williams who was jailed for 12 years for his role. “You were the one with the most to gain. They were the ones with the most to lose,” “Your actions were cowardly, they sit in stark contrast to the man your family and friends suggest.” Officers bugged McFarland’s Toyota Rav4 in May 2020 and conversations picked up by the listening device convinced police they were on to serious players. A tracking device on the Toyota showed the car was going to eight homes the syndicate had booked through Airbnb. A property on Rochester Circle, Balga, had been rented from an unsuspecting Perth grandfather on June 28, 2020. Police surveillance logs show McFarland visited it the next day and again on June 30, when McFarlane and Collard-Williams hid drugs in the roof space, unaware the house was riddled with microphones and cameras installed by detectives. The pair and Sabau were arrested during a police raid. When police inspected McFarland’s Rav4 they found it had been retrofitted with a secret smuggling compartment that was hydraulically activated, a cipher phone, a cryovac machine and two large shopping bags containing more than cash. Judge Black said multiple character references for Sabau were of “enormous assistance” when trying to understand his personal circumstances, which were glowing in character and came from friends and family. “The truth is that they were of enormous assistance, they filled out you, the president.” “You, the man, who cheats on his wife. “Who speaks to Catchy McFarland like she’s a piece of dirt . . . (I can only) imagine how you speak to your enemies.” “Those references, give me some hope, that when you are finally released, that you have the capacity to change for the better. “Your are not a lost cause, however, you are a man who behaved poorly. “Your past has caught up with you.” More than a dozen supporters packed a District Court room to hear the sentence being delivered on Tuesday. Sabau was seen looking back at the public gallery before the sentence was read. He was jailed for 16 years — a term that begins in May after he was hit with a shorter jail stint for contempt of court after he refused to respond to a line of questioning and the assertions it made against him. Judge Black on Tuesday emphasised that the contempt term was imposed separately to the drug and cash offences, describing it as measure to ensure general deterrence The 16-year term is another blow for the Mongols club, which has been left reeling from last week’s guilty verdict in the trial of member David Pye. Judge Black also described current conditions in WA’s prison system as “disgusting” and said it was “appalling” after it emerged Sabau had only been offered a shower every two days in the last week. The 48-year-old was recently thrown back into Hakea and Casuarina Prisons after being found guilty by a jury of the methamphetamine, cocaine and a money laundering charge. He was previously on strict home detention bail and has spent almost a year in custody following his 2020 arrest.