A 2016 police raid on a Gold Coast waterfront property, originally reported as a counter-terrorism operation by former ABC journalist Mahmood Fazal, has been confirmed to have been a drug-related investigation, according to court and property records. The property belonged to Melissa Frangieh, the wife of convicted cocaine trafficker and former nightclub promoter Ray Frangieh.

Fazal, who was dismissed by the ABC in May, claimed in a 2021 Background Briefing report that he was detained in his underwear during what he described as a counter-terrorism raid conducted by an Australian Federal Police (AFP)-led taskforce. He alleged that his phone, laptop, and camera were searched by police, and that he was prevented from attending the sentencing of a man charged with funding foreign fighters in Syria. However, the AFP has denied conducting any such raids, stating it had no knowledge of the operation described by Fazal.

The truth, as established by Queensland court and property documents, was that the raid was carried out by a Queensland Police bike taskforce targeting drug offences. During the operation, a man was arrested on multiple drug possession charges. Melissa Frangieh was later charged and convicted of laundering money derived from her husband’s drug trafficking activities. Both the Gold Coast waterfront home and another investment property in Surfers Paradise owned by Mrs. Frangieh were subject to forfeiture applications by the Queensland government and eventually sold.

The controversy surrounding Fazal’s report intensified after it was revealed that the man whose sentencing he was barred from attending under police direction, referred to as “Imran” in his 2021 report, was actually Omar Succareri. Succareri was initially arrested on terrorism-related charges that were eventually dropped, pleading guilty instead to foreign incursion offences. His younger brother became Australia’s first known suicide bomber in 2013 during an attack in Syria.

The ABC issued a clarification last week, acknowledging that Fazal’s account misrepresented the nature of the raid. The broadcaster has also removed five of Fazal’s stories from its digital platforms amid concerns over the reliability of some of his sources. Fazal reportedly texted that he was willing to amend the record regarding the raid’s nature but maintained that he was present in a professional capacity as a journalist.

In early September, The Australian raised questions about the accuracy of Fazal’s claims after receiving confirmation from the AFP that no such counter-terrorism raid had taken place. The AFP also released a statement it had provided to Fazal in 2021 before the Background Briefing report was aired, in which the agency denied involvement in the raid. This statement was reportedly omitted from Fazal’s broadcast.

Fazal has recently withdrawn his unfair dismissal claim against the ABC. Details of his reasons for discontinuing the legal action were not disclosed. The ABC is expected to release the findings of its internal ombudsman’s investigation into Fazal’s conduct in the near future.