Kalorama dealer Liam Downes pleads guilty to trafficking MDMA, cocaine, meth and weed

A Yarra Ranges dealer claimed Chinese gangsters forced him to sling drugs after he was nabbed trafficking at his grandparents’ Kalorama home.

Liam Downes, 25, pleaded guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of MDMA. Facebook.

A baby-faced dealer nabbed with a stack of MDMA, cocaine, meth and cannabis at his grandparents’ place has avoided a further stint in jail.

Liam Downes, 25, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to time served – 238 days – after pleading guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of MDMA.

Downes was charged after telling police a series of lies, including that he was forced to sell drugs for the Triads.

Downes, who also pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, cannabis and meth, was pinched at his grandparents’ Kalorama property on September 5 2019.

Police forced entry to the Ridge Rd property and arrested Downes and his crony girlfriend Lauren Brown.

Investigators seized 529 grams of cannabis, 366 grams of cannabis oil, 140 grams of MDMA, 76 grams of meth, cocaine, ketamine, DMT, 49 grams of magic mushrooms and $1650. Most of the drugs were found stashed in a bag in the garden.

Police secured the search warrant after an associate of Downes — who purchased a gram of cocaine at the property on September 4 — tipped them off.

Downes was hauled in for questioning where he initially denied the bag of drugs located in the yard was his.

Downes claimed he spotted someone “popping around” the garden and the bag may have been planted by a person who “doesn’t like him”.

Downes changed his story when police showed him CCTV footage of him placing the bag in the garden.

The court heard Downes had “social anxiety”.

He claimed he was holding the bag for someone but didn’t want to tell police “anymore” because he “might get hurt”.

Police then showed him a tick book of drug transactions which Downes claimed was an “old list” from a “couple of years ago”.

Downes then claimed he was “forced” to sell drugs on behalf of a Triad member for “six or seven” months.

He then claimed he stored the bag for Triad member who forced him to “follow” directions on what to do with the bag.

Lauren Brown pleaded guilty to cannabis possession. Facebook.

Sarah Lenthall, for Downes, submitted her client should be sentenced to time served and a community correction order after putting in a successful run at a drug rehab clinic.

However, the court heard Downes had previously done a stint at the same clinic in 2018.

Ms Lenthall’s submission was almost derailed after the court heard Downes was arrested for alleged drug trafficking in September last year.

It was submitted Downes found life ”very difficult” when he was bailed just as Melbourne entered a COVID-19 lockdown in April last year.

The court heard Downes claimed he also developed post-traumatic stress disorder after he and Brown were drugged and victims of an attempted abduction while holidaying in Amsterdam.

“Amsterdam … I don’t know if that happened or not,” Judge Anne Hassan said.

Prosecutor Francesca Holmes queried Downes’ claims.

“Everywhere you look in this case there’s a little bit of reality and a lot of fantasy,” she said.

Ms Holmes highlighted several drug-related posts on Downes’ “open” Facebook page.

“There are many references to trafficking drugs ‘contact me if ya searchin for shit for New Years’ or something like that,” she said.

Judge Anne Hassan accepted Downes’ mental health issue, drug addiction and offending was linked.

“You operated a drug trafficking business of some standing and organisation,” Judge Hassan said.

Downes was also handed a three-year community correction order.

Brown was handed a good behaviour bond in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to drug possession last year.

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