Peter James Moore, 20, will plead guilty in the County Court to trafficking 24.5 grams of methylamphetamine, trafficking methorphan, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a pill press.

He applied to have his case heard in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Wednesday but magistrate Ron Saines refused the application, saying the offending – which carries a maximum of 15 years’ jail – was too serious.

“The essence of trafficking is the distribution of illicit drugs through the community, very much through the detriment of our communities for financial reward. The accused engaged in and was an active participant,” Mr Saines said.

“Even if he was not the driving force in obtaining the drugs, he was an equal and significant factor in the mastering of financial accounts for sale.”

Mr Saines said a magistrate could impose a sentence of up to two years’ jail on one drug trafficking offence and a maximum of five years’ jail on more than one drug trafficking offence.

In regard to sentencing Moore as a young offender, the court can impose a maximum sentence of two years’ youth detention.

Based on these penalties, Mr Saines refused Moore’s application for a summary jurisdiction and referred it to the County Court.

The court was told Moore started to buy MDMA capsules from Nathan Weightman after meeting him at a nightclub in 2016 but he soon accumulated a debt.

Moore then bought MDMA/methorphan capsules from Weightman to re-sell at nightclubs and used the profits to repay Weightman.

Not long after Moore started selling the capsules for Weightman, he moved into his Golden Point house.

Prosecutor Gabrielle Munro said Moore sold pills for Weightman produced by a pill press that was located at Ian Weightman’s Redan house.

She said on one occasion, Moore and Nathan Weightman worked together for three hours to press methorphan powder into 2000 pills stamped with a ‘Transformer’ emblem.

Ms Munro said another time, Moore received 100 yellow ‘Homer Simpson’ branded pills containing methorphan to sell.

She said these pills were among 2000 pills sealed in a bag marked ‘2000’ that were transported from the Redan house.

“Between March or April 2017 and October 2017 the offender sold pills for Nathan Weightman produced by the pill press. The offender sold pink ‘Transformer’ pills and yellow ‘Homer Simpson’ pills. The offender told police he probably sold 300 to 350 pills over that period,” Ms Munro said.

She said police executed a search warrant on Moore and Weightman’s home on October 20, finding drug paraphernalia and coloured powders and pills containing MDMA and methorphan in Moore’s bedroom.

Defence barrister Neill Hutton said Nathan Weightman had stored the pills and powder, totalling 464.4 grams, in Moore’s bedroom because he did not want his girlfriend’s parents to discover them.

In urging the court to hear his client’s charges, Mr Hutton said Moore had no prior convictions, he was young and it was mid-level trafficking that was not complicated for a magistrate to decide.

Mr Hutton said Moore hoped to settle the case before he turned 21 on May 9.

Moore’s plea hearing will be heard in the County Court a later date.