Dandenong Ranges National Park: Jason Kogelman busted growing drugs

A man told police he had gone looking for wombats in the Dandenong Ranges National Park — but CCTV footage showed otherwise.

A man has been fined for growing cannabis plants in the Dandenong Ranges National Park near Mount Evelyn. File picture.

A man was busted tending cannabis plants in the Dandenong Ranges National Park after previously being caught on CCTV, a court has heard.

Jason Kogelman, 49, faced Ringwood Magistrates’ Court by video link on Wednesday accused of cultivating cannabis and a separate drug-driving charge.

The court heard Parks Victoria officers discovered four crops in the park on October 28, 2020, about 200m from Wilkilla Rd in Mt Evelyn.

They later reported the matter to police and installed covert CCTV cameras in the area in an effort to try and identify those who planted the crops.

Four days after the cameras were installed, on November 24, 2020, two men were caught on the cameras, and Parks Victoria passed the footage onto Olinda police.

On December 16, 2020 Parks Victoria officers and police went to install more cameras in new locations near the crops when they spotted Kogelman, a father-of-three, and a co-accused tending to the crops.

Recognising them from the CCTV footage, police arrested the duo and took them back to Lilydale police station for questioning.

They also found an orange backpack at the scene filled with fertilizer and water, which they had also previously spotted in the footage.

Police analysed the scene and found 60 cannabis plants across five garden beds that had been secured by chicken wire, with the tallest plant reaching about 1m.

In a statement to police, Kogelman said he had been walking and “looking at wombats with mange” when asked what his intention was for the day.

He was later released on summons, but then came to police attention again when he was pulled up driving on Forest Rd, Ferntree Gully on March 17, 2021.

Oral fluid tests both found cannabis in Kogelman’s system, and he told police he had shared a joint with a mate a few days earlier.

The court heard Kogelman had an “extensive criminal history” and had been working as a landscaper and occasional stonemason to support himself and his three children.

His defence lawyer Steve Parker said Kogelman “knows what he’s risking and had served terms of imprisonment and prior convictions in the past”.

Magistrate Anthony Parsons fined Kogelman $2000 for his role in cultivating the plants, and said he had no choice but to disqualify him from driving for the minimum period of 12 months due to his prior convictions.