A Cranbourne woman has been spared jail after being convicted of drug trafficking and possessing explosives in her home garage.
Zarna Barbar, 26, pleaded guilty to a series of charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 18 July after a sentence indication of a two-year community corrections order with 300 hours of unpaid work.
Her charges arose from two police raids of her home in November 2024 and May this year.
After the first raid, she was charged with trafficking 1870 millilitres of 1,4-butanediol, as well as possessing meth, cartridge ammunition, an imitation handgun, a shotgun barrel, handling stolen goods and the proceeds of crime.
Upon the second raid on 28 May, she was charged with possessing 30 kilograms of ‘Powergel’ explosive found in her garage – which police argued had the capacity to destroy the front half of Barbar’s house and garage and kill passers-by.
She also pleaded guilty to possessing drugs, stolen property and ammo seized during the raid.
Arguing against a jail term, defence lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson told the court that Barbar claimed the goods seized during the first raid were “the co-accused’s (Drew Patrick Moran’s) items”.
Ms Garde-Wilson told the court that Moran, who was renting a room in Barbar’s home, had extremely serious priors for violence, firearms and drugs.
There was no evidence linking Barbar to possessing or knowing of the items, other than living at the address, the lawyer argued.
On the second raid, a separate male was present at the home when the explosives were seized from the garage.
Barbar was a qualified nurse who had bought her own home. She’d then become an escort, which “led her to where she is in court”, Ms Garde-Wilson said.
A police prosecutor told the court that a jail term should be a “starting point”, given that the firearm and explosives were a danger to the community.
After her arrest in May, Barbar spent 38 days in remand until bailed by the Victorian Supreme Court.
She was then released into a 90-day stay at a residential drug-rehab facility.
Magistrate David Starvaggi said a custodial sentence was “within range” but Barbar’s age, lack of priors and her rehab placement persuaded him to impose a work-only CCO.
After announcing his sentence, he told Barbar not to smile – though noting she may have just been nervous.
“You’ll face jail if you do anything like this again.”
Soon afterwards, in a separate hearing, Moran faced the same magistrate.
His lawyer indicated that Moran would contest the raid charges, arguing he too didn’t have knowledge or possession of most items seized from the first police raid.
Only one of the items – a stolen Virgin Money card – was found in his bedroom.
The rest were either in Barbar’s bedroom or communal areas of the house, which had a “difference in cleanliness” to Moran’s quarters, the lawyer said.
Moran’s fingerprint was allegedly found on a PVC pipe of 1,4-butanediol seized by police, the court heard.
But there was no way to date the print or prove he didn’t handle the pipe for a previous purpose, the lawyer said.
Ballistics and chemists’ reports were still outstanding, the court heard.
Moran was scheduled to appear at a special mention at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 20 November, ahead of a contest hearing on 3 December.
