15 busted over drugs

Alex de Vos
Police have arrested 15 people and seized more than $40,000 worth of property as part of a month-long operation targeting drug trafficking in the Geelong region.
Police charged Torquay’s Dominic Battaglia on Tuesday with trafficking and possessing LSD, cannabis, amphetamines and ecstasy.
Officers arrested Battaglia as part of Operation Axeman, which also led to Paraparap’s Timothy Wall, 29, and Bellbrae’s Aiden Devoy, 19, fronting court this week on drug charges.
Bellbrae’s Riley McCrohan, 18, Belmont’s William Benfield, 26, Torquay’s Mark Hase, 47, and Werribee’s Charlie Camelleri also fronted Geelong Magistrates’ Court on charges stemming from the operation.
Police told the court Battaglia made 3200 phone calls in the past month, mostly about drug trafficking.
Magistrate Rosemary Carlin remanded Battaglia in custody to reappear in Geelong Magistrates’ Court on June 25.
Geelong Police Constable Naomi Bourke told the court Wall had allegedly contacted Battaglia through mobile phone calls and text messages to organise the purchase of LSD and ecstasy.
Const Bourke said Wall spoke in code asking for “boxes”, which police understood as meaning the purchase of LSD, usually presented on cardboard.
During the operation police raided Wall’s house, seizing one gram of cannabis, “an amount” of white powder, 11 grams of amphetamines, “an amount” of white crystals, digital scales and two firearms, Const Bourke said.
The court heard Wall admitted purchasing seven grams of speed every seven days for the past eight months.
Wall told police he sold five grams to friends and kept the rest for personal consumption.
Wall was granted bail to reappear in Geelong Magistrates’ Court on June 25 for a committal hearing.
Geelong Regional Response Unit Sergeant Peter West said police were cracking down on drug trafficking in the area “more than ever before”.