Thurgoona man had illegal butterfly knife in bag when he stopped outside 'drug house'

The butterfly knife was in a satchel Blake Cogdell had on him when he pulled into the driveway of a known West Albury drug-dealing house.

He told police he had only just found the knife, had recognised it belonged to a mate and so was on his way to return the weapon.

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"I must say," magistrate Richard Funston said, "I just don't accept he was on his way to returning it. The court's not stupid."

Albury Local Court heard Cogdell, 24, of Kimball Court, had convictions for carrying knives.

He has now pleaded guilty to possessing or using a prohibited weapon without a permit and to driving with an illicit blood present in blood.

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Defence lawyer Mitchell Brooks said Cogdell wanted to move to Tumbarumba, where he would work as an orchard hand, to get away from bad influences in Albury.

Mr Brooks said Cogdell had also spent more than 90 days in drug rehabilitation.

Police were speaking to the occupant of a house in Hibiscus Crescent, West Albury, on August 14 about 8.30pm when Cogdell pulled into the driveway.

He turned the engine off but restarted it moments later, so police shone a torch into the car.

They asked him why he was there, as Albury had just gone into a COVID-19 lockdown.

He "appeared nervous" and gave "conflicting" reasons as to why he was at the address.

Police searched him and found the knife.

Cogdell was placed on a nine-month community corrections order over the knife and fined $600 and disqualified from driving for three months for the illicit drug in blood charge.

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