Ballarat drug bust: Five face court

FIVE people have appeared in court after a police operation across the wider Ballarat region, which saw drugs valued at $300,000, drug making machinery, weapons and cash seized.The charges followed a police operation which started in June this year - codenamed Operation Salpae. More than 20 officers were involved in executing warrants on Tuesday afternoon.Michael Jolly, 43, has been charged with drug offences, including possessing a tablet press and several firearms offences.Darren Hunter, 44, and Mark McKay, 36, both from Delacombe, are expected to make applications for bail today. Both men have been charged with drug offences, and driving charges. McKay also faces a firearms charge.The home of husband and wife Ljube Bozoski, 48, and Jasna Bozoski, 40, was one of the properties searched in the raids. The court was told the drugs found at the home had a street value of up to $300,000.Both have been charged with trafficking ecstasy, possessing a tablet press, possessing calcium, possessing ecstasy and possessing amphetamines. Mr Bozoski has also been charged with dealing in property the suspected proceeds of crime. Defence lawyer Mike Wardell applied for bail for Mrs Bozoski.Ballarat Senior Constable Troy Wickham told the court police searched the couple’s Brookfield home where a tablet press was found in the shed. He said 100 kilograms of powder chemicals and other powders such as calcium and salt were found in the shed. Inside the house a large snap lock bag with mauve powder was found as well as 10 snap lock bags with 1000 ecstasy tablets in each.He said the tablets were mauve and purple and had a Euro currency symbol on them. The street value of the tablets, Senior Constable Wickham said, was between $10 and $30 each.Senior Constable Wickham said a pink powder residue was found on the tablet press which indicated it had been used for tablets other than those inside. Fourteen different tablet stamps were found at the house.Senior Constable Wickham said Mrs Bozoski must have had a fair idea what was going on as the tablet press press was visible from the door of the shed.Mr Wardell said his client, Mrs Bozoski, may have turned a blind eye to the activities at the house, but was not a principal offender.No application for bail was made on behalf of Mr Bozoski. All five are expected to appear for committal hearings in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on February 24.