Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
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Drugs worth $200,000 sent to a man holed up in a Nazi-decorated "fortress" slipped through authorities' fingers, a court has been told.
Michael Joel Laffan, 28, lived in a "bunker" on his parents' Wallan property, complete with a moat, trip alarms and CCTV, and decked out with paraphernalia including a Nazi flag, a painted swastika and racist slogans, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard.
Constable Steve Holcombe, of Seymour police, told the court that Mr Laffan had ordered 40kg of 1.4 Butanediol, a GHB precursor drug, from China, to be delivered to his "fortress".
Department of Immigration and Border Force officials tracked the drugs - contained in two 20-litre drums - as they arrived at Sydney Airport, and told Victoria Police to expect the delivery at Mr Laffan's Wallan home.
They were delivered on August 29 or 30, the court was told.
While federal authorities tipped off Seymour police that the drugs were headed for the Wallan home, local police took several days to execute a search warrant and, when they did search the Laffan family home, the drums were gone.
Constable Holcombe said authorities had not seen the drugs since.
Mr Laffan allegedly told police an unnamed friend had ordered the drugs and had them delivered to his home. He had then dropped them off on the side of the road in Craigieburn, he said.
Magistrate Luisa Bazzani was incredulous that authorities had allowed the drugs to disappear.
"They are dangerous, they contain a dangerous material," Ms Bazzani said. "How is it possible they were allowed to slip through authorities' fingers?"
Police did find other drugs at Mr Laffan's bungalow, however, including 22.8 grams of methamphetamine, 38 grams of ecstasy and 660ml of GHB, Constable Holcombe said.
But more concerning, Ms Bazzani said, were the weapons: a sawn-off .22 rifle, which had its serial numbers ground off, a "tic book" for keeping track of drugs sold on credit, a samurai sword, knuckledusters, two imitation handguns, and ammunition for the rifle and a handgun.
No handgun was found on the premises, which she described as "very concerning", given the presence of the handgun ammunition.
Defence lawyer Charles Morgan said the police characterisation of "a Nazi bunker that's fortified" was ludicrous.
He said the moat was more like an "ornamental pond with a bridge", and the weapons collection was "an ice-addled fascination" and "alarming, but not sinister".
As to the sawn-off rifle, he said: "It's a show-off tool".
Ms Bazzani refused Mr Laffan's application for bail, saying despite Mr Laffan coming from a good family who had offered to support him through drug treatment, the sheer volume of drugs and weapons were "of serious concern for the court".
He did not enter a plea, and the case was adjourned until a later date.
Source: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/p...ted-fortress-court-hears-20160929-grr4xu.html
Michael Joel Laffan, 28, lived in a "bunker" on his parents' Wallan property, complete with a moat, trip alarms and CCTV, and decked out with paraphernalia including a Nazi flag, a painted swastika and racist slogans, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard.
Constable Steve Holcombe, of Seymour police, told the court that Mr Laffan had ordered 40kg of 1.4 Butanediol, a GHB precursor drug, from China, to be delivered to his "fortress".
Department of Immigration and Border Force officials tracked the drugs - contained in two 20-litre drums - as they arrived at Sydney Airport, and told Victoria Police to expect the delivery at Mr Laffan's Wallan home.
They were delivered on August 29 or 30, the court was told.
While federal authorities tipped off Seymour police that the drugs were headed for the Wallan home, local police took several days to execute a search warrant and, when they did search the Laffan family home, the drums were gone.
Constable Holcombe said authorities had not seen the drugs since.
Mr Laffan allegedly told police an unnamed friend had ordered the drugs and had them delivered to his home. He had then dropped them off on the side of the road in Craigieburn, he said.
Magistrate Luisa Bazzani was incredulous that authorities had allowed the drugs to disappear.
"They are dangerous, they contain a dangerous material," Ms Bazzani said. "How is it possible they were allowed to slip through authorities' fingers?"
Police did find other drugs at Mr Laffan's bungalow, however, including 22.8 grams of methamphetamine, 38 grams of ecstasy and 660ml of GHB, Constable Holcombe said.
But more concerning, Ms Bazzani said, were the weapons: a sawn-off .22 rifle, which had its serial numbers ground off, a "tic book" for keeping track of drugs sold on credit, a samurai sword, knuckledusters, two imitation handguns, and ammunition for the rifle and a handgun.
No handgun was found on the premises, which she described as "very concerning", given the presence of the handgun ammunition.
Defence lawyer Charles Morgan said the police characterisation of "a Nazi bunker that's fortified" was ludicrous.
He said the moat was more like an "ornamental pond with a bridge", and the weapons collection was "an ice-addled fascination" and "alarming, but not sinister".
As to the sawn-off rifle, he said: "It's a show-off tool".
Ms Bazzani refused Mr Laffan's application for bail, saying despite Mr Laffan coming from a good family who had offered to support him through drug treatment, the sheer volume of drugs and weapons were "of serious concern for the court".
He did not enter a plea, and the case was adjourned until a later date.
Source: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/p...ted-fortress-court-hears-20160929-grr4xu.html
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")