Alleged Kialla drug trafficker out on $50,000 bail

He is charged with trafficking methamphetamines, dealing in property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, refusing to supply a pin code for his mobile phone, possessing schedule 11 poison somatropin growth hormone, possessing schedule 11 poison Apex Anavar oxandrolone steroids, and possessing schedule four poison tramadol.

Senior Constable Jamie England told the court Michael Loscavo, 29, of Shepparton arranged for two undercover police officers to buy 28 grams of methamphetamines from him for $6000 on September 16.

They went to a rural property in Mooroopna owned by Mr Avram where Mr Loscavo allegedly bought 140g of methamphetamines from an associate, Sen Constable England said.

He then sold 28g to the undercover police at the Mooroopna property, and the remaining 112g was sold to Troy Scott, 48, of Shepparton for $20,000.

On September 23, the undercover police again contacted Mr Loscavo and organised to buy 56g of methamphetamines from him for $11,400, Sen Constable England said.

Mr Loscavo drove to Mr Avram’s Mooroopna property where he bought 56g of methamphetamines from Mr Avram before on-selling it to the undercover police, Sen Constable England told the court.

The court heard when Mr Avram was arrested on Saturday, October 29 he refused to give police the pin code access for his mobile phone.

A search of his Kialla home found eight vials of human growth hormone somatropin, three containers of Apex Anavar oxandrolone steroids, one tramadol tablet and $10,000 in cash, Sen Constable England said.

Police also found four stolen cars and a “quantity of stolen firearms parts” at his Mooroopna property, but Sen Constable England said police inquiries were still continuing into them and no charges had been laid at this stage.

However, he said “investigators are pretty confident he is involved in the stolen vehicles and firearms parts”.

Mr Avram’s barrister Matt Murphy said his client would be contesting that the person who sold the drugs to Mr Loscavo on September 23 was him.

“We don’t have any recordings or photos,” Mr Murphy said.

He said it was only the undercover police who identified Mr Avram, but no statements had been taken from them yet.

“This could come down to the evidence of the covert operatives, which we don’t know how they identified him,” he said.

Mr Murphy also refuted the prosecution’s concern that Mr Avram was a flight risk, saying he had strong ties to the Shepparton area, owning a business with 35 employees, as well as having a wife and child there.

He also argued a surety “in the tens of thousands of dollars” could be paid by Mr Avram’s wife for him to be bailed.

Magistrate David Faram released Mr Avram on bail, with a $50,000 bail surety to be paid by his wife.

He said Mr Avram had no prior convictions and had made no admissions in the case, and “that there is work to be done” by both the prosecution and defence.

As well as the surety, Mr Avram’s bail conditions include that he surrender his passport, not leave Victoria, not associate with any co-accused, not contact prosecution witnesses and not use drugs.