Thursday, July 9, 2020 COMMUNITYNEWS.COM.AU Plan up in smoke Jon Bassett EAGLED-EYED Australia WHAT’S Post staff helped smoke out the elaborate cigarette smuggling operation a young student used to make a “quick buck”. Employing what Magist- rate Joe Randazzo called “animal cunning”, Huat KILLING Ching Ting (23) would send orders to China via a mes- saging app asking for the contraband to go to a North- bridge post box. Perth Magistrates Court was told his “cunning” plan to sell the booty on social COASTAL media was hampered by ob- servant posties and his sub- sequent Australian Border Force arrest earlier this year. ABF officers found about 1200 of a 16,000-cigarette import of foreign brands GIANTS? including Ice Cafe, Change, SA Menthol and Double Happiness when they raided Mr Ting’s Nollamara Ave- nue home on February 24. Jon Bassett City of Stirling and had their Through an interpreter, fruit removed as a preventa- Mandarin-speaking Mr Ting A TREE disease detective says tive measure after arborists’ pleaded guilty to avoiding councils need to look under- advice at the end of last year. $15,646 in Federal Govern- ground to find the root cause of The loss of more pine tree ment import excise and pos- dying Norfolk Island pines if canopies led the City to send sessing the cigarettes last the stately giants are to be leaves and soil for analysis last Friday. saved at Scarborough Beach. March. Federal Government pros- Stressed Norfolks up to four ecutor Andrew Scott said decades old were noted by the CONTINUED PAGE 3 surveillance by Australia Picture: David Baylis CONTINUED PAGE 3 ROAD Military grade code EAGLES EYE TROY Mercanti was using on June 29 after the June a mobile phone with mil- 20 funeral — was arrested TO RUIN itary-grade encryption by gang squad detectives ROOKIE REID the day before he flew to on Tuesday before being NSW to attend a Mongols granted bail in court Man ‘not in the right bikie funeral, a court was hours later. From North Beach told. Mercanti allegedly The notorious bikie — breached his post-sen- head space’ to drive who had been in isolation tence supervision order. to West Coast at his Karrinyup home PAGE 3 since arriving back in WA CONTINUED PAGE 8 PAGE 38 STI 2 NEWS July 9, 2020 NEWS ..................................................................... P1-10 YOUR STORY ........................................................... P14 Clarification PARENTING ............................................................. P16 WINE ......................................................................... P18 Trading IN a story in the Stir- REAL ESTATE ..................................................... P27-28 ling Times (Fight ‘will go on’, July 2, 2020) we TRADES DIRECTORY ........................................ P29-36 said Mr Zivko Kezic and PETS & GARDENING .............................................. P36 his wife Rosaria were through each fined $500 after SPORT ....................................................................... P37 their recent Supreme MOTORING .............................................................. P38 IT’S business as usual at the Seafolly Court appeal was dis- store at Karrinyup Shopping Centre, missed. pictured. In fact the fines relate The popular swimwear retailer went to an earlier hearing, into voluntary administration this INSIDE and Mr and Mrs Kezic month but is trading through while ad- were only ordered to ministrator KordaMentha starts a pay the City of Stir- sale-of-business process. ling’s costs, to be taxed. The bikini brand called in Korda- Further, we incorrectly Editorial Director: Amanda Keenan Mentha because of the “crippling reported that Justice News Production: Justin Bianchini financial impact of the COVID-19 pan- Jennifer Hill “issued a Design: Carly Pilton demic”. warning to the couple”. Features Editor Arylene Westlake-Jennings Seafolly’s not the only beach brand She did not. We apolo- Digital Editor: Alison Middleton to hit financial difficulty, with Tigerli- gise to the Kezics for General inquiries: 9237 1000 ly hitting troubled waters in March any hurt or distress Email: [email protected] before a buyer came forward last week. caused. Reporters: KARRINYUP APARTMENTS P10 Lucy Jarvis 9237 1433 (Wanneroo) Tyler Brown 9237 1516 (Joondalup) Nadia Budihardjo 9237 1564 (Stirling) Photographers: David Baylis, Andrew Ritchie Group Sales Director: Brendan Jupp 0417 021 102 communitynews.com.au Business Development Managers: Dawn Robinson 0413 444 106 communitynews.com.au/subscribe Helen Robcke 0413 444 038 Louisa Tyson 0401 276 330 Contact Centre/Trades: /StirlingTimes Vivienne Darlington 9237 1402 Distribution: 08 9237 1630 Published by: Community Newspaper Group /StirlingTimes CONTACT US CONTACT 50 Hasler Road, Osborne Park WA 6017. Printed by Colourpress 54 Hasler Road, Osborne Park WA 6017. STI July 9, 2020 NEWS 3 Smoking A trail of destruction gun found FROM PAGE 1 Nadia Budihardjo Road, Karrinyup at 12.06am Cronshaw said Simpson on June 4. made full admissions, Post staff picked up nine A MAN who admitted he was An NBN box was ripped including admitting he suspicious post packs con- “not in the right head space” out of the ground and five “wasn’t in the right head taining hidden cigarettes at to drive his 4WD after he left street signs were knocked space” to drive. Sydney and Perth airports. a trail of destruction in Kar- over within a 500m distance The 32-year-old Bayswater X-rays showed cartons of rinyup has pleaded guilty. of the 4WD. man did not appear in Perth cigarettes inside spools of Scott Mcarthur Rainford When police checked the Magistrates Court on Mon- cable in the packs. Simpson was charged with toppled vehicle, the engine day but pleaded guilty in his Each pack contained be- careless driving, failure to was still running but there letter to the court. tween 300 and 600 cigarettes report a crash and failure to was no sign of the driver. Magistrate Brian Glues- sent by a company in China remain at the scene. Simpson presented him- tein refused Simpson’s between November 22, 2019 Emergency services self to Scarborough police request for a spent convic- for a spent conviction to be the careless driving charge, and January 21 this year. arrived to find an abandoned station at 1.30pm the follow- tion. made given his escape from $500 on each of the two other Mr Scott said Ting paid Toyota Landcruiser lying on ing afternoon. “On hearing the facts, I’m the scene,” he said. charges and $225.90 in court Yuan 10,600 (around $2158) its side (right) in Jeanes Police prosecutor Leon not satisfied it’s appropriate Simpson was fined $300 for costs. for the cigarettes. Defence lawyer Guan Kai Sim said his client, who until his arrest was on a foreign student visa, had been shown the scheme by others. “He stumbled on it by being told by friends, was Answers making a quick buck by sell- ing cigarettes to his friends, and was sending some back to Malaysia to help his fam- may lie ily,” Mr Sim said. Magistrate Joe Randazzo was not convinced, but took into account Ting’s early beneath guilty plea. Ting was fined $8000, given a nine-month suspended jail sentence for avoiding excise and ordered to pay $141.50 in court costs Height Giles Hardy limit up examines dead pines at the THE City of Stirling has Scarborough unanimously approved a beachfront.. new height limit for a Picture: David proposed neighbourhood Baylis centre in a former industrial zone. The Walter Road West Neighbourhood Centre is FROM PAGE 1 “The decline and deaths require felling some Nor- treatment is found, but would improve the pines’ bound by Elsegood Street are fairly widespread up folks in various states, would not be “simple” kill- health. and Walter Road in Dianella, In May, Cottesloe Council and down the coast,” Pro- including a healthy exam- ers such as Dutch elm dis- She said saplings of the and includes lots to the felled two of its pines sus- fessor Hardy said. ple to set the study’s bench- ease or dieback. species would continue to southwest of Harold Street pected to have been killed He said any investigation mark. A City of Stirling spokes- be planted if they were the and to the northeast of Cle- by the fungus Neofusicoc- should look underground “I would be digging up woman said harmful or same as existing street veland Street. cum parvum after they died for plant pathogens, chang- some pines to look at root opportunistic pathogens trees, or appropriate for The proposed plan was from their tops, and it is es in soil chemistry and diseases, look at loss of ben- had not yet been dismissed residents’ requests for released for public comment treating others with an ex- health, and the possible eficial fungi, doing some ba- as possible reasons for the verge trees. and common concerns from perimental biostumulant. effect of salinity on roots, sic physiology work around Scarborough pines’ The City’s Norfolks, residents included Boulton Murdoch University pro- micronutrient deficiency drought, salinity, heat, decline. including those at Trigg Street residences being over- fessor of forest pathology from an alkaline soil, nutrients on the trees to But tests noted high lev- Beach, were being “closely” shadowed, the five-storey Giles Hardy said the fungus drought and heat. start to tease out the cause els of soil salt and drought monitored, got water-based building height and lack of may only be an opportunis- “The cause is likely com- or causes, and look in the were possible contributors. feed and slow-release fertil- public open space. tic, secondary infection plex and not necessarily a trunk,” Prof Hardy said. The spokeswoman said iser. A maximum of three sto- killer of the pines, and the single cause, so this needs He said many more Nor- there was no clear evidence And they had the soil reys will apply for low-rise real causes may lay under- to be teased out,” he said.