Mahmoud El-Zayat, 45, Claudette Tannous, 24, Kylie Maree Pearce, 35, Thomas Alfred Purtell, 46 and Alfred Maxwell Clark, 49, faced Albury Local Court on Thursday.

It followed their arrests during a police strike force on the Border on Wednesday targeting large-scale drug supply.

Police said they had seized drugs, including ice and cocaine, worth at least $300,000 during the operation.

Officers laid 140 charges against the three men and two women.

All were denied bail on charges including large commercial drug supply, apart from El-Zayat who chose not to apply for release.

The court heard the alleged offending dated back to at least February and involved a syndicate.

El-Zayat is facing the most serious charges, including large commercial ice supply.

The court heard he was facing a maximum sentence of life in jail if found guilty.

It’s alleged he knowingly supplied 700 grams of ice between May 11 and August 1 in Albury.

Police allege he received a financial reward of $51,600 between June 21 and July 18.

Sergeant Andrew Coombs said the investigation was still ongoing, with such cases often having people above the accused syndicate and below.

Tannous - who is El-Zayat’s partner - walked into the court crying, still in the same clothes she was arrested in on Dean Street about 24 hours earlier.

The court heard the mother of three had a newborn child and played a relatively limited role compared to the other accused people.

Registrar Paul Barber noted the charges were extremely serious and found her an unacceptable risk of release.

He did the same for the next three defendants.

El-Zayat asked to hold off his bail application until Monday.

All five will return to court on Monday. 

Mr Barber noted some of the defendants were facing allegations relating to significant amounts of drugs sold on numerous occasions.

Sergeant Coombs argued it was “a strong prosecution case given the way the evidence was obtained”.

Speaking after the raid on Wednesday, Detective Inspector Winston Woodward said police had been “watching their every move for the last three months”.

Purtell and Pearce’s Kurrajong Crescent home in Albury and El-Zayat and Tannous’ Nightingale Avenue house in Wodonga were raided.

El-Zayat allegedly had 13 grams of cocaine on him when he was arrested with his partner on Dean Street.

Tannous is also accused of receiving a financial reward of $51,600 and is charged with commercial drug supply of 421 grams of ice. 

Alfred Maxwell Clark faces the fewest charges with two counts of knowingly take part in ice supply and knowingly participating in a criminal group. 

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