Illawarra cousins Ali Ibrahaim and Wassim Baydoun worked hard to hide their drug dealing activities from friends, family, authorities and the public.
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They concealed their illicit goods inside waterproof PVC pipes, stowed inside garden-variety hiding spots at a North Wollongong unit block. (One lot was actually hidden in the garden.)
But despite their apparent care and consideration, the pair made a very rookie - and very millennial - mistake.
They took selfies.
Officers made the comical discovery after seizing Ibrahim's phone following his arrest in November 2015.
Court documents revealed police found pictures of the two men together, as well as Baydoun by himself, posing inside a garage turned makeshift drug den, with the drugs hidden in plain view in the background of the photos.
This added fuel to an already growing fire of evidence that pointed to Ibrahaim and Baydoun as the culprits behind a large quantity of drugs found at the location just hours earlier.
The court heard police had been contacted by a resident who discovered a backpack containing drugs sitting in a garden bed inside the complex.
An investigation by detectives revealed ecstasy, ice and cocaine stashed in PVC pipes hidden throughout the Virginia Street unit block's common areas, as well as a garage.
Police lifted fingerprints matching both Ibrahim and Baydoun off the pipes and the resealable bags containing the drugs.
Ibrahim subsequently plead guilty to large commercial drug supply charges and was jailed for three-and-a-half years. He is eligible to apply for parole at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Baydoun maintained his innocence on similar charges. The case was set down for trial on two occasions but both times was not reached due to court delays. He had been due to stand trial in Wollongong District Court this week but pleaded guilty on Monday to the lesser charges of drug supply (involving 33 grams of methamphetamine) and concealing the serious offence of another in a plea deal with prosecutors.
Police documents tendered to court upon Baydoub's plea said the 27-year-old regularly visited Ibrahim and they "partied together" including including taking drugs from time to time.
"The offender became aware of his cousin's involvement in the supply of prohibited drugs and did not provide that information to police," they said.
Baydoun is expected to be sentenced later this year.