MR BIG OF DRUGS JAILED FOR 15 YEARS

One of Mr Bigs of the Kings Cross drug scene for the past decade, Bill
Bayeh, was yesterday jailed for a minimum of 15 years in the NSW District
Court for supplying vast amounts of heroin and cocaine.

During the NSW Police Royal Commission, Bayeh was exposed as the major
heroin and cocaine dealer in Kings Cross and was said to have regularly
bribed police.

Bayeh and others were accused of involvement in what was known as the Cosmo
Cafe Conspiracy, an alleged syndicate operating from the Cosmopolitan Cafe
in Kings Cross.

He was charged with conspiring with others to supply a large commercial
quantity of cocaine and a commercial quantity of heroin between December
1995 and July 1996 and late last year.

After months of protesting his innocence he pleaded guilty to the charges.

The charges followed extensive police investigations, including video and
audio surveillance, on the Cosmo coffee lounge.

Bayeh will be eligible for parole in 2011.