South Yarra pair Maria Romeo and Mitch Elliott plead guilty to drug trafficking meth and 1,4 butanediol

A former Melbourne showgirl and her lover boy had the curtains drawn on their meth and GHB drug racket production.

Maria Romeo pleaded guilty to trafficking meth and 1,4 butanediol. Facebook.

A South Yarra glamour girl and her boyfriend were done for a joint meth and GHB trafficking racket which operated out of their apartment.

Maria Romeo, 37, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in January to an 18-month community correction order after pleading guilty to charges including trafficking meth.

Romeo’s partner Mitch Elliott, 36, joined her girlfriend in the sin bin after he was sentenced on Tuesday to a 24-month CCO after pleading guilty to trafficking meth.

Romeo and Elliott, who both pleaded guilty to trafficking 1,4 butanediol, were nabbed at their South Yarra studio apartment early on September 2, 2020.

Police stormed the apartment to find Romeo and Elliott in bed together.

Investigators also discovered a bevy of drugs, $4070 cash, a stack of counterfeit dough, fake IDs, bogus cheques, passports, an iPad, mobile phones, scales and empty deal bags.

Police seized a kilo of bute, meth, ketamine, MDMA and various steroids and prescription drugs including Xanax and Oxycodone.

Romeo was warned she would be jailed if she was caught again. Facebook

Drug paraphernalia was also located “throughout” the apartment.

The pair was arrested and hauled away for questioning.

Romeo, who gave a no comment interview, was later released while police went to work dissecting the seized device.

Police also analysed CCTV which depicted Elliott conducting various drug deals at the apartment complex.

Elliott, who also pleaded guilty to drug and steroid possession and dealing with the proceeds of crime, was linked to the cash haul.

Investigators discovered messages and photos which indicated Elliott and Romeo were up to their necks trafficking drugs.

Police also discovered evidence the lovebirds had used other people’s identities to “manufacture” fraudulent documents including a bogus Optus bill and dodgy salary letters.

Romeo, who also pleaded guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime, claimed, via social media, to be a former Melbourne showgirl.

Romeo must perform 150 hours of unpaid community work. Facebook.

Sally Vardy, who represented Romeo at her sentencing, submitted her client should be spared jail time.

Magistrate Guillaume Bailin took into account Romeo’s early guilty plea, lack of priors and her “genuine efforts” to seek drug rehabilitation while on bail.

However, Magistrate Bailin warned Romeo she had “one foot in custody”.

“Hopefully (the arrest is) a turning point for you in realising the way of life you were living at the time, to be frank, has you with one foot in custody, which is where you are and remain today … which is on the cusp of being sent into custody …,” Magistrate Bailin said.

“If all of this (rehabilitation) is simply an opportunity to avoid custody then that will become clear upon judicial monitoring before me,” Magistrate Bailin said.

“Any further offending, particularly serious drug offending, (and) I’ll simply cancel my order and you’ll be taken into custody …”

Romeo was convicted and ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid community work with discounts for rehabilitation and treatment.

Elliott was also ordered to perform 150 hours of community service.

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