TEEN’S COVID BREACH LEADS TO DRUG BUST:
A GEELONG teenager has been exposed as a drug dealer after he was arrested by police who spotted him walking without a face mask.
Jamaal Lewis, 19, was strolling along a Whittington street this year when he came to the attention of police conducting patrols in the area.
Geelong Magistrates Court heard officers intended to speak with Lewis about not wearing a face mask when he tried to run from them.
The foot chase was shortficking lived and police soon discovered Lewis was carrying drugs, deal bags and a wad of cash.
Lewis, of Whittington, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges including drug trafand dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
The teenager has been in custody since the incident on February 16, which was during a snap five-day lockdown across Victoria.
As part of temporary restrictions to combat a coronavirus outbreak, Victorians were required to wear face masks in public.
Prosecutor Denise Frame told the court Lewis was spotted as he walked along Apollo Place in Whittington.
The teen tried to run away but tripped and fell over, enabling police to catch up to him.
Officers searched a bumbag he was wearing and found multiple deal bags containing the drug ice, along with Xanax tablets, two iPhones, a pocket knife and $4900 in cash.
At the time of his arrest, Lewis was serving a community correction order for stabbing a man during a gang fight at a Whittington park in April 2020.
Defence lawyer Alexia Frossynos said her client had a dysfunctional childhood that included using ecstasy from the age of 14.
He later became a heavy user of other illicit substances including ice and GHB, the court heard.
Ms Frossynos said Lewis’s decision to deal drugs was to fund his own habit.
It prompted a rebuke from magistrate Simon Guthrie, who stated: “So he’s happy to feed his drug habit by taking advantage of others?”
Ms Frossynos said Lewis was “only 19” and should be given an opportunity to treat his drug issues through another community correction order.
“Clearly my client needs treatment,” she said.
“Without the treatment, there’s real potential for my client to become a recidivist offender.”
Mr Guthrie said while he was mindful of Lewis’s young age, he had to balance that with community expectations for drug traffickers.
“I see this as particularly serious offending,” he said.
Lewis was remanded in custody for sentencing on April 20.