A FORMER Vietnamese national will spend the next six months in jail over a string of drug trafficking, weapons, theft and driving offences.
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Nghia Van Le pleaded guilty to charges including trafficking and possessing ice and ecstasy, possessing a sword and taser, stealing a necklace, and driving an unregistered car while suspended with false plates on Wednesday.
The Bendigo Magistrates Court heard Van Le had been caught with drugs on multiple occasions, including during one raid in which about 25 grams of ice, a syringe, pills, and an imitation handgun was found.
Magistrate David Faram told Van Le he would have imposed a two year prison sentence had he not pleaded guilty.
“The community has a right to expect that people obey the law and that in particular, people do not use and more importantly perhaps, traffic in or profit from, the sale of drugs,” he said.
“This community is all too aware that the drug ice or methylamphetamine is a scourge in our community.
“It is a terrible and terrifying drug.
“It impacts upon people, their families, their children.
“It is viewed generally as almost instantly addictive and it is a drug that leads people down very dark paths, as indeed I believe you sir have been.”
Van Le was sentenced to nine months’ jail with a further six month term suspended for two years.
He has already served 104 days in custody.