Alleged Mount Duneed drug dealer Jed Jeanes granted bail
An alleged Mount Duneed gun and drug dealer will be free to roam the streets again after police pulled their application to keep him remanded.
Geelong
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An alleged gun and drug dealer was let back onto the streets when police backflipped on their bid to keep him remanded – despite “significant” concerns for the Geelong community.
Mount Duneed man Jed Jeanes was granted bail from the Geelong Magistrates Court after spending seven months on remand for the alleged trafficking of 13 firearms and a large amount of drugs.
Senior Constable Ashley Longworth originally told the court there was a “significant risk” to the community if Mr Jeanes was bailed.
“If he falls back into the drug cycle, he’s a significant risk to the public based off previous surveillance …(and) based on the way he (allegedly) acts in public when under the influence,” he said.
When he was told there could be conditions such as a curfew and drug screens placed on Mr Jeanes, Constable Longworth said his concerns for community safety had been reduced.
Mr Jeanes was caught up in an undercover police operation in May and June 2022, during which he allegedly sold one firearm to operatives for $7000 and offloaded more than 2l of 1-4 butanol, a chemical that converts to depressant drug GHB once ingested.
During a search of his home and cars, police allegedly uncovered 11 guns, two imitation firearms and more than 2kg of drugs.
Mr Jeanes pleaded not guilty to trafficking in a commercial quantity of GHB and methamphetamine, possession of two or more firearms, possession of GHB, possession of cartridge ammunition and disposal of a firearm without the proper licence.
Mr Jeanes’ mother, Sharon Brown, put up a $50,000 surety to guarantee her son’s bail and provided an undertaking she would contact police if he breached bail conditions.
During a committal hearing on Tuesday, the court heard that seven months after the offending, DNA analysis of the firearms had not yet been assigned a case manager and there was no time frame.
It was also disclosed police were unable to recover Mr Jeanes’ fingerprints on at least one of the firearms.
Mr Jeanes will face the County Court of Victoria for what is expected to be a week-long trial later this year.
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Originally published as Alleged Mount Duneed drug dealer Jed Jeanes granted bail