A PIZZA shop operator has pleaded guilty to trafficking $37,000 worth of drugs over a 12-month period.Don Ciccio's Pizza and Pasta operator Tony Bazzano was busted on March 13 after a major police operation that included tapping into mobile telephone conversations the 45-year-old had with Melbourne identities to buy and sell amphetamines and ecstasy.Ballarat Magistrates Court heard that between March last year and March this year, Bazzano sold seven to eight ounces of the drugs to a co-offender and to friends at parties.Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Clint Prebble told the court Bazzano used the code names pizza and cars when buying and selling the drugs.He said on the day Bazzano was arrested, police located 60 ecstasy tablets in his car, scales and plastic bags of various sizes.The court heard that in January Bazzano threatened to kill his 20-year-old fiancee's brother over a rent dispute.Bazzano wrote multiple text messages to the victim, one of which said: "If you go to the cops I will bury you."Defence lawyer George Defteros told the court his client had been part of a drug culture from an early age and had never received treatment.He urged the court to give his client some leniency when sentencing because he had support from family and friends and had attempted to rehabilitate."He has clear evidence of remorse and tried to better himself and complete courses he has done in custody. He has taken that upon himself and been self-motivating," Mr Defteros said.Bazzano, of Ballarat, was remanded in custody until next Wednesday when the hearing will continue.He pleaded guilty to trafficking amphetamine, trafficking ecstasy, possessing amphetamine, possessing ecstasy, dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime and making threats to kill.