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Updated ,first published
An emerging Cronulla Sharks player, 19-year-old Ratu Viliame Koroitamana, was driving a car in which the alleged drone operator was arrested on Friday. He was arrested and charged with driving while disqualified and participating in a criminal group to contribute to criminal activity. He has not been charged in relation to the Macdonald murder.
Macdonald was shot at a Merrylands West home on the afternoon of September 2, in a case that police believe was mistaken identity. The 40-year-old died at the scene.
Macdonald was not known to police and had no links to organised crime.
About 5.30am on Friday, Raptor Squad detectives arrested the 18-year-old and Koroitamana in West Hoxton and took them to Liverpool police station. Police allege the younger man is a drone operator.
A member of the public had reported unusual drone activity over West Hoxton, near Liverpool, and police arrested the pair shortly afterwards.
Police said they did not yet know the target of the West Hoxton drone surveillance on Friday and were making inquires.
“That behaviour is obviously of great concern to us,” said Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi.
“More than likely he was involved in criminality and conducting surveillance on someone for some purpose. I’m glad today we have foiled it.”
Koroitamana’s player manager Dixon McIver said the Sharks Jersey Flegg (under 21s) competition player had made a “very silly mistake from a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
“He’s a nice kid, his folks are devastated,” McIver said. “I got a phone call from the mum saying he was taken into custody.
“He had no idea what he was doing, who he was driving. He’s just a silly naive young man … I certainly hope that was the case as opposed to knowing who he was driving and for what purpose.
“It’s a lovely family, lovely surroundings. No gangland hoodrats history surrounding them at all.”
Koroitamana is contracted with the Sharks for next year.
Police will allege the 18-year-old flew the surveillance drone – an off-the-shelf commercial model that sells for about $4000 – from about two streets away from Bruce Street in Merrylands West, where Macdonald was fatally shot.
They will allege he relayed information back to the shooters.
The drone operator had no known affiliation with criminal gangs, though he did have a criminal history of property and weapons offences, Doueihi said.
The shooter who allegedly pulled the trigger is yet to be identified, he said.
“A drone was seized and forensically examined by detectives, who allegedly uncovered evidence to suggest involvement in the fatal shooting in Merrylands,” NSW Police said in a statement on Saturday morning.
The 18-year-old man has been charged with murder and participating in a criminal group to contribute to criminal activity. He was refused police bail and is due to face court on Saturday.
Police say organised crime networks are increasingly using drones to surveil potential targets leading up to and during assassinations.
In April, Sydney rapper Ay Huncho, whose legal name is Ali Younes, escaped a foiled alleged murder plot in which would-be attackers surveilled him with a drone at a rugby league match.
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