Melbourne woman charged after police find explosives, drugs in bomb squad raid
A suburban garage packed with explosives, detonators and drug lab equipment has landed a 26-year-old Melbourne woman behind bars, after a police raid uncovered what officers described as a ‘catastrophic risk to the community’.
A suburban garage packed with industrial explosives and detonators has landed a 26-year-old Melbourne woman behind bars, after a Victoria Police raid uncovered what officers described as a “catastrophic risk to the community.”
Detectives executed a search warrant at a residential address in Cranbourne on Wednesday morning where they discovered approximately 15 kilograms of explosives, more than 40 kilograms of precursor chemicals used to manufacture explosives, and over 60 detonation devices.
Specialist officers from Victoria Police’s Bomb Response Unit were deployed to safely handle and render the explosive items safe.
The raid was part of an ongoing investigation into the theft of motor vehicles in the Frankston area.
Zarna Barbar, 26, was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with 10 offences, including possessing an explosive substance, possessing cartridge ammunition, motor vehicle theft, trafficking and possession of drugs of dependence, theft from a motor vehicle, and handling stolen goods.
She appeared before Magistrate Charles Tan at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court where she was remanded in custody.
Ms Barbar is being represented by Zarah Garde-Wilson, one of the top five criminal lawyers in the country.
Ms Garde-Wilson said her client had previously been diagnosed with depression and was “withdrawing from methamphetamine and GHB”.
The matter was adjourned until June 18 for a further mention hearing.
Court documents obtained by The Australian reveal the investigation began after a victim reported his orange Holden Commodore stolen from his driveway between the night of April 28 and early morning April 29. The owner, who still had both sets of keys, suspected electronic means were used to steal the car.
On April 29, a man contacted the victim via Facebook Messenger and shared a Snapchat video uploaded at 4:00am by an account under the name “zarnamay.” The footage showed a woman laughing from the passenger seat of the stolen car as it performed burnouts on Evans Road, Cranbourne.
The victim was able to identify the vehicle in the footage by the custom dash mat, aftermarket windshield wipers, and personal effects visible in the car.
The stolen vehicle was recovered the next day, April 30, after a witness spotted it parked in Cupit Street, Cranbourne, just 300 metres from Ms Barbar’s home.
Detectives used the evidence to obtain a search warrant for Ms Barbar’s residence, which was executed on Wednesday. Inside, police found a JBL speaker matching the stolen item, along with New Balance sneakers identical to those reported missing.
The garage, however, held the most disturbing discoveries: Police allege a pelican case and blue barrel containing industrial-grade explosives labelled “Magnum Powergel,” 80 detonators, and more than 100 tubes of explosive gel.
The search also allegedly uncovered a machete, multiple zip lock bags containing white powder believed to be drugs, white tablets, two ice pipes, and multiple bottles of viscous liquid suspected to be drug-related substances — some concealed in everyday items like a hand sanitiser bottle and Coca-Cola bottle.
Ammunition for various high-powered firearms was discovered inside a fish food container on the coffee table.
A Victoria Police lanyard, multiple IDs and bank cards in other people’s names, and an Autel key fob — often used to access or reprogram car key systems — were also seized.
Police say Ms Barbar poses an “unacceptable risk” to the community and is trafficking dangerous drugs not for personal use, but out of “greed.”
Investigators expressed concern over the large quantity of unstable explosives stored in a suburban setting, warning that “the very real potential to create a spark” could have resulted in a catastrophic explosion.
Ms Barbar made no comment during her police interview and did not provide access to her electronic devices.
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