Mongols bikie Paul Marsandi is arrested in Perth and faces jail time just days after posing with a biker gang in a photo
- Paul Marsandi arrested and charged in Perth
- He posted photos with the Mongolians before his arrest.
A Mongols bikie posed with his notorious club for a photo just days before he was dramatically arrested following an alleged drug bust.
Perth man Paul Marsandi, 37, posted photos online showing him proudly standing with a group of Mongolian cyclists at the gang’s clubhouse last weekend.
The 37-year-old had no idea that police had been keeping a close eye on the longtime gang member after detectives launched an investigation into the Mongolians last month.
Paul Marsandi (fifth from right), 37, posted photos on social media showing him proudly standing with a group of Mongolian bikers at the gang’s clubhouse last weekend.
Four days after the photograph was taken, detectives arrested Marsandi and the Mongol associate Dillon Ian Thomas on Thursday.
Officers were waiting in a park on Roberts Street in Joondanna when they allege Thomas approached a white van and placed a package in the front seat.
Police will allege that a search of the van turned up more than $50,000 in cash and approximately 42.7 kg of methylamphetamine, worth $42 million.
Thomas was arrested and Marsandi was arrested by police on Albert Street in north Perth a short time later.
Both men have been charged with conspiring, abetting, aiding or attempting to possess a quantity of methamphetamine with the intent to sell or supply and money laundering.
Both now face life in prison.
On the same day as the arrests, officers from the Drugs and Firearms Squad and the Gang Crime Squad executed seven search warrants in the Perth metropolitan region.
It will be alleged that, during a search of a home in Hamilton Hill, police located a quantity of cocaine and $60,000 in cash.
Marsandi’s younger brother, Joshua Negara Marsandi, 27, was arrested after the raid and charged with possession of prohibited drugs with the intent to sell or supply and money laundering.
He is not associated with the Mongols and will appear before Fremantle Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
In June, the Serious and Organized Crime Division and the Gang Crime Squad launched investigations into several members of the Mongols.
Marsandi was arrested in north Perth on Thursday and charged with a series of offences.
Marsandi lived two lives as a devoted father and husband, and loyal Mongolian member.
Marsandi lived two lives as a devoted father and husband, and loyal Mongolian member.
The father of three’s Instagram bio features ‘ROC CITY MONGOLS 1%’ and ‘#dadlife’.
Marsandi’s social media shows contrasting images of his family on outings and vacations alongside photos of him posing with Mongolian gang members.
One photo shows him vacationing in Bali with his partner and children, while another shows him in the Mongols’ clubhouse.
He has a tattoo on his neck with the words ‘ROC CITY 1%’.
Marsandi was once vice president of the Rockingham chapter of the Rebels gang before it split with the Mongols several years ago.
His fellow Mongolian senior Jason Gastarov, who was the president of the chapter, had led the charge of about 40 members to lead the Mongols astray, which had caused chaos within the rebels.
Det-Insp. Blair Smith of the organized and serious crime division told the West Australian that police “will continue to target those who commit serious drug offenses in this state and ultimately cause harm to the community.”
“The investigation is ongoing and the origins of these drugs are still under investigation and we will continue to investigate the members of the bikie motorcycle gang.
‘We will deploy all the resources at our disposal to ensure the safety of the WA community.’
Marsandi is due to appear in Perth Magistrate Court on 6 October 2023.
