Cocaine addict Jonade Hamidi fronts up in court on serious drugs charges

A Melbourne coke dealer has had the glamorous life of a high-rolling drug kingpin snuffed out thanks to his glamorous ex, who turned on him in court.

Illi Glover and Jonade Hamidi in happier days before getting on the wrong side of the law.

A coke dealer who told his then-girlfriend to “get the stuff out of the house” after he was pulled over by police in his red BMW has been jailed.

Jonade Hamidi, 25, appeared in the County Court for sentencing on Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to charges of trafficking in cocaine and cannabis, negligently dealing with $259,010 being the proceeds of crime, and possession of ketamine.

He was sentenced to 20 months’ jail on all charges with a minimum non-parole period of 10 months.

His ex — glamorous dog groomer Illi Grover — gave evidence against Hamidi in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court during his committal last year.

She was handed a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to charges of cannabis possession and negligently dealing with proceeds of crime in June last year.

Hamidi contacted Glover after he was intercepted in a red BMW in Pine Hill Drive on October 28, 2021.

Illi Glover dobbed in his ex Jonade Hamidi who has gone to jail for cocaine and cannabis trafficking.

He did a runner towards Santa Rosa Blvd after police stopped the suspected drug trafficker but was arrested in the backyard of a Doncaster East property shortly after.

He told Glover to “get the stuff out of the house” then leave and emphasised to her to remove the “bags from his office and the safe in the bedroom”.

Hamidi was in breach of a Community Corrections Order at the time of the offending.

In March 2020, Hamidi was sentenced to a three-year CCO after pleading guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to charges of recklessly cause serious injury and possession of cocaine.

In County Court, Judge Sarah Dawes said she was obliged to impose a sentence that was proportionate to Hamidi’s criminal conduct and considered that a head sentence of more than 12 months was required.

“I consider general deterrence must be given significant weight, as must factors of denunciation and deterrence. The community expects that those who elect to engage in drug trafficking must be punished and denounced for their offending,” she said.

Born and raised in Templestowe, Hamidi misbehaved in school and had mental health problems which triggered use of alcohol and illicit drugs from the ages of between 12 and 13. He started using a variety of illicit drugs as a form of self-medication from the age of 14.

One third of a commercial quantity of cocaine was found on Jonade Hamidi.

Judge Dawes said when Hamidi was 11, he presented to the ED of the Box Hill Hospital following a psychotic episode.

The acute nature of his psychological and substance abuse resulted in him being admitted to the adolescent unit as an involuntary patient for several days.

The discharge summary described him as having presented with psychotic symptoms and was seeing shadows, believing people were in his house, and he had previously called police multiple times to ensure his house was safe.

Ongoing psychiatric treatment was recommended and Hamidi was placed on the antipsychotic medication quetiapine.

He hopes to open his own food business upon release from prison.

Five character references from family and friends were tendered in court and spoke about Hamidi turning his life around, regretting his actions and genuinely wanting to make amends.