A drug dealer involved in a string of offences, including pulling out an imitation handgun after making threats in Wodonga, has been released from jail after being caught with 4.5 kilograms of marijuana.
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Police pulled over a blue MG station at the Mokoan rest area, north of Winton off the Hume Freeway, on Boxing Day last year.
The officers seized a black tub with 4.5 kilograms of marijuana, two phones and a Samsung tablet, all of which belonged to Paul Coombe.
Coombe was already on two sets of bail at the time, having brandished two imitation handguns at a West Wodonga home on December 7, 2023.
The 47-year-old had drunk a whole bottle of port before the incident.
He arrived at a home and made threats against a woman's son, who is an Federal Police member.
Coombe pulled out a black imitation handgun from his waistband and racked it in front of the woman several times.
She said the gun made "a distinct metallic sound".
Coombe then pulled out a brown imitation handgun and said "here, do you want one?" before putting it back in his pants and trying to open up a fly screen at the victim's home.
He was arrested on Sarah Court the next morning while at work.
Police seized the weapons, which were gel blasters, from his home.
Coombe couldn't remember much of what had happened due to being heavily drunk.
The 47-year-old was on bail during that incident too, having been spotted by an off-duty detective with two stolen bikes at Les Stone Park on November 20, 2023.
The detective identified himself and Coombe stopped on Waratah Way.
He told police he didn't believe the bikes, worth thousands of dollars, were stolen.
Photographs were taken and checks showed one, a $5700 Giant road bike, had been taken from an East Albury home the previous month.
Another bike worth $3150 had been taken from a man's Albury home on August 29, 2023.
Coombe said he had bought the bikes from Facebook Marketplace, at well below their value, and hadn't taken steps to check if they were stolen.
"I got scammed," he told police.
"I didn't do background checks, lesson learned."
Coombe remained in custody following his marijuana dealing arrest.
Questions were raised about the evidence of drug trafficking, with police noting the sheer weight of the marijuana meant the charge should stick.
The drugs and seized imitation firearms will be destroyed, and the stolen bikes have been given back to their owners.
Magistrate Ian Watkins noted it was serious offending and Coombe had a long criminal history.
He said the 118 days he had spent on remand was long enough, and ordered he be released from Ravenhall jail.
Coombe will be supervised and assessed for treatment for drugs and alcohol for the next 18 months.
