Grovedale woman Melanie Weil caught with firearms, drugs

A frustrated magistrate told a Geelong woman he simply doesn’t believe her excuse for being caught with firearms and drugs, telling her she’s “not Calamity Jane”.

A magistrate has accused a Geelong woman of lying about the guns and drugs that were in her possession.

Melanie Weil, 39, who is currently homeless but was living in Grovedale at the time, appeared at the Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to possessing firearms and drugs.

In September 2019, Weil was the “conduit” in a firearm transaction between two men after she agreed to set up the sale and transport the shotgun and longarm between Point Lonsdale and Grovedale.

The court heard Weil exchanged text messages with the seller about knowing a man who could buy the two guns for $1000.

Weil claimed the buyer was a “bit funny” and wanted to see the guns at her house rather than the seller’s but thought he would “probably buy them”.

Melanie Weil was accused of lying to a magistrate about how she came to be in possession of drugs and firearms. Picture: Facebook.

Weil, who knew neither man had a Victorian firearm licence, and used two long bags to drive the guns to her house for the buyer.

In November, a police search of a Point Lonsdale home uncovered one of the firearms among two shotguns, a longarm, miscellaneous ammunition and drugs of dependence, including GHB.

The second gun was not found.

In February 2021, police pulled over Weil in a car that had been spray painted black. The rear window had been covered with paint and was so thick that “no light could pass through”.

Police found a pocket knife and two deal bags containing 0.5 grams of an unknown drug of dependence in the car. They later searched Weil’s home and found ecstasy tablets and 0.01 grams of cocaine.

Magistrate John Bentley said he “doesn’t believe” Weil’s defence that she transported the guns only as a favour to a friend and became frustrated with her claims that the drugs were not hers.

“Seriously, do you think I came down in the last shower? She’s lying.”

Mr Bentley said there were daily reports of shootings in Melbourne and was concerned the second gun has not been found.

“You’re not Calamity Jane,” he said.

“This is dangerous. Dealing guns to people without licences. There are a lot of shootings out there. Bikies, a lot of people want guns.

“This is jailable. This is completely jailable.”

Mr Bentley questioned what takes someone “with no priors whatsoever” to start dealing in guns and warned Weil to disassociate from the people she was spending time with at the time.

Given prosecution asked for a community corrections order and not jail time, Mr Bentley stood the matter down for an assessment.

Weil will also be expected to return to court for judicial monitoring.

“If she stuffs up slightly, she will find herself in jail,” Mr Bentley said.

Originally published as Grovedale woman Melanie Weil caught with firearms, drugs