Corio man Luke Zecevic guilty of growing weed in house
A Corio man who began growing cannabis in the home his mother was murdered in has faced court.
Geelong
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A Corio man found with three rooms full of cannabis said he turned to selling the drug after his dreams of becoming a horticulturalist fell through.
Police forced entry into Luke Zecevic’s Washington St home in August 2022 and found three bedrooms had been set up with heat lamps and waste systems to grow 3.4kg of cannabis.
Zecevic, 35, pleaded guilty to cultivating a trafficable quantity of cannabis in Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The court heard he was growing 29 plants in the rooms and he was found to have buds stashed in one wardrobe and loose cannabis stored in his freezer.
Zecevic had also put up two pieces of paper on his wall that detailed the growth and maintenance of the plants from 2020.
Powercor investigated the home and discovered an electrical bypass had been installed to disguise the high level power usage.
The court was told Zecevic moved into the Corio home in 2020 after his mother was murdered by a neighbour.
Zecevic said his younger brother arrived to find their mother had been bludgeoned to death.
He said the neighbour was found not guilty “by way of mental impairment”.
The court was told Zecevic began his cannabis operation “for money” because he had failed to find employment in the horticulture industry.
The court was told the entire cannabis system cost $10,000 to set up.
Zecevic said he was “ashamed of what it is we’re here for”.
Police submitted the operation was so dangerous and had been powered by so much electricity that it could have “caught fire”.
“There needs to be a deterrent,” prosecution submitted.
Magistrate Ann McGarvie stood the matter down so Zecevic could be assessed for a community corrections order.
Ms McGarvie will also consider whether Zecevic should be convicted.
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Originally published as Corio man Luke Zecevic guilty of growing weed in house
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