Lai Jiang of Epping faces drug trafficking charges, denied bail
His lawyer suggested he be banned from having a phone or computer, or from leaving the house without a parent, in a bid to secure bail. But not even strict conditions could convince a court to release an Epping man after his bedroom was searched.
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An Epping man has been refused bail — even under strict “house arrest’ conditions — after police allegedly found a hefty amount of drugs stashed at his parents’ house.
Police allege Lai Jiang, who has repeatedly been jailed for drug trafficking, had been selling drugs while on bail for charges of cultivating a commercial quantity of drugs.
Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court heard that more than 16g of methamphetamine and more than a litre of GHB, plus heroin and fireworks, were allegedly found when police raided his parents’ Epping home early on April 16.
Police then allegedly found numerous conversations on his phone in which he arranged to sell methamphetamine and heroin by text and Facebook Messenger, the court heard.
Senior Constable Jacqueline Smith told the court police found six phones, more than $4000 cash and a shoebox of fireworks in Jiang’s bedroom.
Five containers and a syringe, all believed to contain GHB, were allegedly found between his bedroom and ensuite, as well as ziplock bags containing what police believed to be heroin, cannabis and lucidin.
A bag containing 16.2 grams of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine was found down the back of a couch in the living room.
Sen-Constable Smith told the court 10 large drones were also found, which police believed were used to assist with the alleged drug trafficking.
She said she had examined Jiang’s phone and seen that nearly all his messages related to selling and sourcing ‘hot’, heroin, and ‘cold’, methamphetamine.
The court heard the unemployed 37-year-old was on bail from the County Court, for which his parents had provided a $50,000 surety, while he appealed a sentence following a search of the house in January 2019.
Police allegedly found almost 130g of heroin and more than 90g of methamphetamine in the house during the raid.
Jiang’s lawyer, Tom Sawyer, argued his client had not sold drugs to anyone.
He pointed out the significant delay it would take in sorting out the charges, especially as police had not yet tested the alleged drugs.
Mr Sawyer said the alleged GHB was a substance Jiang’s partner used for makeup, while he had Jiang’s father tell the court, through a Mandarin interpreter, the cash found was from an insurance payout for his wife’s car.
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Drug and alcohol counsellor Amanda Brown gave evidence Jiang had been seeing her and doing biweekly drug tests since he was bailed from the County Court in December.
She said Jiang had only returned two dirty tests in January and showed remorse about the relapse.
Sawyer pushed for Jiang to be bailed to live at his parents’ house, only allowed to leave it if he was in their company.
He suggested Jiang be banned from using a phone or computer.
But Magistrate Stephen Ballek wasn’t persuaded.
He said while there could be triable issues in the police case, it was in no way weak.
Mr Ballek said given Jiang’s criminal record, he was not convinced Jiang was at risk of spending more time in custody with the delays being caused by COVID-19 than he could be sentenced to.