A Benalla man accused of serious domestic violence offending now faces drug trafficking and illegal gun possession charges as he sought release from custody on Monday.
The 43-year-old appeared from the custody dock at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court after he was arrested following a search of his home on 19 September.
The court heard police found around 30g of methylamphetamine, 20g of cannabis and a small quantity of prescription pills in his residence which he rented with a housemate.
A sawn-off bolt action .22 calibre rifle with 50 rounds of ammunition and a silencer attachment was also found and seized in the 43-year-old’s bedroom.
The gun was believed to be in the possession of the 43-year-old, who was a prohibited person to own firearms.
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Senior Constable Storm McRoy told the court there were multiple indications to show the accused was trafficking the drugs.
Inside the man’s phone case police seized a piece of paper they believed outlined the money owed for drugs to people, which added up to around $25,900.
Allegedly there were numbers on zip lock bags believed to be prices and multiple digital scales found.
Sen Const McRoy said police believed the man would continue to offend with drugs if he was to be released in order to pay off his significant debts.
The accused’s housemate, a 54-year-old man was also charged with drug trafficking following the search and a 54-year-old woman was cautioned for weed possession.
The court heard the 43-year-old was the only one yet to make admissions.
Police were previously seeking a jail sentence for the accused after allegations of strangling an ex-partner at their Moyhu home in 2023 were heard, with multiple children present.
It’s alleged he choked her for around 20 to 30 seconds while yelling at her.
Once the woman broke free, the man allegedly kicked down a door as the victim tried to keep him out of a room.
He then allegedly jumped into her car brandishing a jack handle and revved the engine excessively as police arrived.
The man was set to contest the allegations at court on 16 June, saying three-quarters of the police summary was “fabricated”, but left court before a contest date could be set.
The court heard the 43-year-old also faced allegations of drug driving, breaching an intervention order and making threats to kill his daughter’s partner via text messages.
Defence counsel Nadia David said her client’s drug addiction and current health conditions would not be suitable for a long-term jail stint, which looked likely given the investigation into the alleged trafficking would take months.
The court heard the man had a terminal lung cancer diagnosis and was withdrawing from heroin use.
Ms David said she hoped to bail her client to the Wangaratta Therapeutic Community rehabilitation centre as the 43-year-old showed a keen desire to seek help for his drug addiction.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Ramadan Hamidon said it was highly likely the 43-year-old would go to prison for a significant period if found guilty and there was a strong case against him.
Magistrate Megan Casey adjourned the matter to Wednesday to decide on releasing the 43-year-old from custody.
