'Party drug' allegedly cooked up by father-of-three in one-bedroom Civic unit

Yoestito Musa Hasan, 41, has been charged with manufacturing a controlled drug. Photo: Facebook.

A court has heard one person became seriously ill after allegedly taking ‘party drugs’ bought from a father-of-three.

Yoestito Musa Hasan, 41, is accused of manufacturing the drug in his one-bedroom apartment in central Canberra.

Mr Hasan pleaded not guilty to a charge of manufacturing a controlled drug when he appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (2 February).

Court documents say police raided his one-bedroom, 14th-floor apartment in City Walk early on Tuesday (1 February) morning.

They allegedly found a clear liquid in a saucepan on the stove and in a glass jar, as well as a small container of cloudy white granules. Police suspect the liquid to be gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and the granules to be a pH balancing substance.

Police allegedly saw a white, caked-on substance on each of the stove’s four hot plates, more glass jars filled with clear liquid in the fridge and a number of relevant items.

They also found numerous ingredients in the kitchen cupboard. Police alleged “the ingredients required to make GHB in a domestic setting match those of the items that were located in the kitchen cupboard”.

“The equipment and methods used to manufacture GHB in a domestic setting also match those located inside the unit,” they said.

The court documents state that during the search, Mr Hasan said he was “making a mixture of a chemical he couldn’t remember that he bought online that would make him last longer in bed”.

“The defendant further stated that he also makes homemade soap. Police did not locate any homemade soap at the residence,” police said.

In court, Mr Hasan’s lawyer Toni Tu’ulakitau from Tu’ulakitau McGuire applied for him to be released on bail, saying the statement of facts in the case contained limited allegations, and while police alleged the substance they found to be GHB, it still had to be tested.

He said the father-of-three worked as a part-time mechanic and had a limited criminal history.

The prosecutor alleged at least one person had experienced serious medical issues after buying drugs off him, and police had also found what was thought to be methylamphetamine at his home.

Magistrate Robert Cook said he was concerned about releasing Mr Hasan into the community. He was refused bail and remanded in custody. His case has been adjourned to 23 March.