Rosanna man Prayass Shah sentenced in court for drug trafficking, drug supply

A Melbourne drug dealer who cried poor because his in-laws were cashed up has been busted with a huge stash of drugs after he was pulled over for speeding.

Shah was sentenced at County Court. Picture: Diego Fedele

A convicted drug dealer has earned himself another stint behind bars after police uncovered a stash of drugs and more than $300,000 in cash strewn about his home following a routine traffic check.

Roseanna man Prayass Shah, 40, was sentenced at County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of meth, two counts of drug trafficking, three counts of drug possession and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Shah, who had received two previous convictions for drug dealing, was pinched after police caught him speeding in a white Holden through the streets of Ivanhoe in May 2022.

Prayas Shah.

Shah appeared nervous and said “100 per cent no” when the officers asked him if he had any drugs on him, the court heard.

However, a search uncovered meth, heroin and cash inside his holden.

Police then swooped on Shah’s home and, in a locked room, found 391g of meth, split between different hiding spots including a wooden yoyo box and a harmonica box.

Officers also found $329,000 in cash, much of it hidden inside a shoebox, and an assortment of other drugs including the opioid endone, heroin, Viagra, valium and cannabis seeds.

Shah later tried to convince the officers the cash he had received in the shoebox was from exchanging gold in India, the court heard.

Shah has previous drug dealing convictions.

At the sentencing, Judge Douglas Trapnell detailed how Shah’s depression and drug addiction adversely affected his cognitive functioning.

The court further heard how Shah, who moved to Australia from India in 2008, had experienced what he described as an “alright” upbringing, which was also

strict and involving “vegetarian food”.

He felt ashamed for not coming from a wealthy family and this sense of inadequacy was reinforced when his in-laws came to Australia and he lost $110,000 in a business venture.

He further struggled to find employment after he was last released from custody in the middle of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Judge Trapnell convicted Shah, noting he was “somewhat guarded” about his prospects of rehabilitation as it was the third time he had faced similar charges.

Shah was sentenced to six years behind bars, with a four-year non-parole period.