Former Albury man tells magistrate he's broke as pandemic shutdown cost him job

Thomas Iszmail wrote to Albury Local Court to say he had lost his job at World Gym because of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

This, magistrate Miranda Moody said in referring to the letter, had left him "in dire financial straits".

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Iszmail was one of the two people from the gym charged after police went to the Young Street business on January 15 armed with a search warrant.

Bodybuilder Ashley Lachlan Morosin, who had been managing the gym, pleaded guilty to four charges of possessing a prohibited drug over small quantities of steroids he bought on the internet.

He was placed on a 12-month conditional release order without conviction.

Iszmail, 22, who no longer lives in Albury, also pleaded guilty to four prohibited drug charges.

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Police searched a bag of Iszmail's that had been locked-up behind the counter in the office at the gym. The search was done in his presence.

Inside that were two ziplock bags containing 13.2 grams of cannabis.

They also found a blister pack containing 20.5 tablets of tadalafil, which is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

Later that same day, police searched the Albury home of his mother.

In his bedroom they located a clear vial containing 35.6 grams of the steroid nandrolone and two vials containing 5.2 grams of drostanolone, another steroid.

Similar drugs were found in blister packs in Iszmail's bedroom.

Ms Moody placed Iszmail on a 12-month conditional release order.

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