Sleepy drug dealer Hein Hoang caught with $250k of heroin tried to burn down Springvale temple
A bumbling drug-addict crashed his car and then tried to burn down a Springvale temple. He then fell asleep on the job and was caught by the long arm of the law with $250k of heroin in his vehicle.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A dozy drug dealer who was caught with more than $250,000 worth of heroin after he bungled a bizarre bid to burn down a Springvale temple has been jailed.
Hein Hoang has a history of felony failures including being nabbed in a crashed car with drugs stuffed down his daks.
The 41-year-old has been addicted to opioids for more than 20 years, and has used ice, ecstasy and cannabis since he was aged 16.
He pleaded guilty to commercial trafficking, arson, weapons possession, drug possession and dealing with proceeds of crime charges at the County Court last week.
The court heard Hoang set fire to newspaper and stuffed it in bins at a Springvale temple on the evening of August 4 last year.
It destroyed the bins, but didn’t do any damage to the temple.
He then went back to his car and fell asleep, only to be woken by police the next morning after being spotted drug-affected by a member of the public.
Officers found 683g of heroin — with a street value of around $275,000 — 5.7g of ice, $1245 in cash and a flick knife in his vehicle and he was arrested and remanded in custody.
At the time Hoang was on a community corrections order for another bizarre crime he committed in Springvale in March 2018.
In May last year Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard Hoang sped up the wrong side of Springvale Rd, weaving in and out of traffic until he crashed head-on into another car, causing considerable damage to both vehicles.
He then drove off only to grind to a halt near a train station about 500m away.
An alert Protective Services Officer nabbed him as he got out of his car and searched him, finding bags containing 3.87g of heroin in his pocket and another 0.1g hidden in his underwear.
And in April last year police caught him in a Sandown carpark with another three bags of heroin.
He has a long history of drug dependency crimes resulting in 21 court appearances and 28 pages of prior offending.
Judge Paul Lacava said he accepted Hoang’s dealing was to fund his own use, which amounted to 1g of heroin and .5g of ice every day.
“The trafficking was to support your daily habit,” Judge Lacava said.
“It lacked any features of sophistication or planning.”
He said his persistent drug use meant he was a high risk of reoffending.
“I assess your prospects of rehabilitation as being poor,” he said.
Hoang was jailed for 42 months with a minimum of 26 months, minus 409 days he has already served.
He will be eligible for parole late next year.
MORE COURT NEWS