Dawn Raid on $27 Million Sydney Mansion Reveals True Target
Organised crime detectives have charged the real target of a dramatic dawn raid on a $27 million Sydney mansion with supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine. The heavily armed operation, which targeted the Bellevue Hill home of former television journalist Stephanie Jandegian and her entrepreneur husband Garrett Jandegian on February 6 last year, has now revealed its true focus.
The Real Target Emerges
Four months after the raid that became the talk of Sydney's eastern suburbs, it was revealed that businessman Marios Alexandridis was the actual target of a joint operation between the secretive NSW Crime Commission and the NSW Organised Crime Squad. Strike Force Candice, formed to investigate unexplained wealth and money laundering, had Alexandridis firmly on its radar.
Alexandridis was arrested on the same day as the warrant was executed on the Jandegians' home and was initially charged with recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime with intent to conceal. He has since been charged with the commercial supply of cocaine, allegedly supplying 794.6 grams of the drug at Elizabeth Bay on the day of the raids.
The Raid Details
During the raid on the Jandegians' Kambala Road home, conducted by the gang-busting Strike Force Raptor, officers seized a number of items including a mobile phone and documents. Neither Stephanie nor Garrett Jandegian was arrested, and there is no suggestion they have been involved in any wrongdoing.
As police hit the Jandegian residence, they simultaneously executed warrants on premises at Elizabeth Bay and Woollahra in the eastern suburbs and Dolans Bay in the city's south. Alexandridis was arrested at a Mosman property, and an indictment with the two charges he now faces was filed with the NSW District Court on March 23.
Additional Seizures and Connections
The raids on the additional properties allegedly netted multiple mobile phones, nearly 1 kilogram of cocaine, about 500 grams of silver bullion, and more than $1 million in luxury goods. The proceeds of crime charge relates to $1 million in Australian currency, with the offence allegedly committed between October 2024 and January last year at Mosman and elsewhere in NSW.
Alexandridis is the partner of one-time tennis prodigy Monique Belovukovic, who was pictured out clubbing with Nick Kyrgios in 2017 during the Wimbledon Championships in London. He was released on bail eight days after his arrest upon three acceptable persons agreeing to forfeit a total of $4 million if he failed to comply with the agreement and is currently under home detention.
The Jandegians' Background
The Jandegians, whose lavish lifestyle has attracted media attention, say their wealth is bankrolled by Mr Jandegian's family striking it rich in the Texas oilfields. Their 2014 wedding at The Four Seasons in Sydney was rumoured to have cost upwards of $1 million, with flowers alone costing $80,000.
Mr Jandegian, originally from San Francisco, co-founded canned alkaline spring water producer Aqualove in 2017 but left the company four years ago. He continues to serve as a director of rapid antigen test and personal protective equipment supplier Pharma Soul, where Ms Jandegian is sales manager.
Ms Jandegian, who sits on the NSW advisory board of the Starlight Foundation children's charity, had a notable career in television before her current role. She appeared on Network Ten's reality show So You Think You Can Dance Australia in 2008, studied journalism at the University of Technology, and rose through the production ranks at Nine's A Current Affair to become Sydney bureau chief before leaving in 2020.
Property Portfolio and Lifestyle
The Jandegians' spending has attracted widespread media attention due to a string of high-end real estate purchases. They purchased their two-storey, five-bedroom Bellevue Hill mansion with pool and tennis court in 2022, submitting a development application for alterations worth $7 million after settlement.
A year later, they handed over $15.1 million for a Federation-style house in the same suburb, having previously forked out $5.8 million for their Vaucluse home. In 2024, the pair dropped $4.2 million on an apartment in the redeveloped Sirius building on Sydney Harbour.
The family regularly shares photographs of elaborate birthday and milestone parties for their children, understood to cost between $20,000 and $50,000, and has made multiple trips to Japan and Fiji in recent years.
Related Developments
Stephanie Jandegian's father, 59-year-old construction industry figure Serge Golman, was pulled over by police on the same day as the raids and had his mobile phone seized for examination. A mobile belonging to another man travelling with Mr Golman was also confiscated. Neither Mr Golman nor the other man was charged, and there is no suggestion that they are involved in any wrongdoing.
A day after news of the raids became public last April, bodyguards in blacked-out SUVs sat outside the Jandegians' house as they came and went in a Bentley and Porsche. Alexandridis, who has not entered a plea, is due to be arraigned in the NSW District Court in June.
