Dalton Road, Lalor: Joseph Mohamad deals heroin, has weapons

Weapons including an imitation gun and a meat cleaver and a large amounts of heroin and cash have been seized in a raid on a Lalor home. Police who’ve been watching the house made the move after seeing so many people make two-minute visits.

Police found an imitation gun along with other weapons.

Weapons and large amounts of heroin, cash and stolen goods have been discovered inside a Lalor house that’s been under the watch of police.

An imitation pistol, a meat cleaver, knuckle dusters, a flick knife, almost 30g of heroin, cannabis and $13,570 were found when police raided the Dalton Rd home, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court has heard.

Joseph Mohamad fronted the court on Tuesday, July 28, having been behind bars since the raid on June 5.

The court heard when investigators entered about 5.40am they found Mohamad sitting on the couch with his housemate and three others.

Heroin was on the coffee table and the 47-year-old had $13,570 cash in a bag hanging around his neck

Leading Senior Constable Andrew Williams said almost 30g of heroin was found between many different bags around the house, with some divided up into smaller portions.

Police also found about 20g of cannabis, 3.78g of methamphetamine and notebooks detailing customer names and amounts owed.

A stolen Toyota was found parked in the driveway.

Leading Senior Constable Williams said police observing the house on May 25 had seen a number of people turn up to the house, meet Mohamad at the front door and go inside for about two minutes.

After he was arrested Mohamad refused to give police the password to his phone.

He had also been arrested weeks earlier on May 19 when he was caught with almost $10,000 cash, 4g of heroin and a range of stolen goods.

The court heard police went to the house on an unrelated matter and found Mohamad leaving out the back with the cash and the drugs.

They then discovered items they believed to be stolen including a Dalton Rd street sign, golf clubs, five bicycles, motorcycle jackets and a video camera.

Mohamad’s lawyer Sam Norton told the court his client had begun using drugs at age 10, and had struggled with them throughout his life, leading to his 24-page criminal record.

“Heroin has bedevilled him,” he said.

Mr Norton said the father suffered from a brain injury and mental health issues.

He said Mohamad pleading guilty to the charges at such an early stage, when there wasn’t even evidence he lived at the house, was a large benefit for the judicial system and should be considered in the sentence.

Mohamad did so after Magistrate Stephen Ballek indicated on July 29 that he would sentence Mohamad to six months’ jail, with 56 days having already been served, followed by a 12- month community corrections order.

In determining the sentence, Mr Ballek took into consideration four months and 10 days that Mohamad had previously served while on remand for a crime he was found not to have committed.

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