Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court: Hassan Abadi pleads guilty to possessing drugs

An aspiring doctor busted with a stash of opium also had a butterfly knife stashed at his family owned Campbellfield warehouse because he “liked it”.

Hassan Abadi, 24, leaves Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon, drugs and driving unlicensed.

An aspiring doctor busted with a stash of opium — a drug used to help make heroin — used it because it is part of his “culture” a court has heard.

Hassan Abadi, 24, fronted the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to possessing a drug of dependence, possessing a prohibited weapon and driving unlicensed.

In December last year, police raided Abadi’s family owned Campbellfield warehouse, where he works as a manager.

In the search, police found a butterfly knife and multiple dark-coloured bags of opium belonging to the Monash University biomedical science graduate.

After his arrest, the 24-year-old denied all knowledge of opium and claimed he found the butterfly knife in a bin and “liked it”, so he decided to keep it.

The aspiring doctor was also caught driving unlicensed twice last year.

Abadi’s defence lawyer told the court her client, who came to Australia from Iran in 2011, used opium because of his “culture”.

“He is from Iran, and opium is used as a painkiller in the culture,” she said.

She also confirmed Abadi found the prohibited butterfly knife while sorting recycle bins for his family business and “liked it, so he kept it”.

The lawyer said the medical graduate, who aspires to be a GP one day, was driving unlicensed because he wanted to get to work.

“He understands the seriousness the court takes of driving while suspended or cancelled … He comes with no criminal priors and is pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity,” she said.

But the prosecutor told the court the 24-year-old had been fined twice without conviction for driving while unlicensed at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last year.

Abadi’s lawyer asked the court to consider a non-conviction sentence for Abadi’s unlicensed driving and drug possession because it would impede his chances of practising medicine in the future.

But Magistrate Peter Reardon questioned how a conviction for driving or drug possession would impact Abadi from practising medicine.

“Do you have any evidence that possessing drugs (means) you can’t be a doctor,” he said.

Abadi was convicted and fined $1500 for driving unlicensed and fined $1000 each for possessing opium and a butterfly knife without conviction.