Alfio Licciardello was refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court earlier today on charges of methylamphetamine trafficking and possessing a prohibited weapon – namely a taser.

The 47-year-old was already on bail for other serious alleged offences, and as a result his lawyer was required to demonstrate special and exceptional circumstances to secure bail.

Police raided Licciardello’s Allawah Court flat and an O’Connor property allegedly linked to the defendant yesterday.

They allegedly seized three i-Phones 11 SIM cards, 17 clip seal bags containing a crystalline substance, digital scales and suspected cannabis and the taser from his home.

And at the O’Connor property it is alleged they found $31,000 in a studio room at the rear of the property.

The man’s lawyer, Paul Edmonds, this afternoon tried to argue the prosecution case was “exceptionally weak” and justified his client’s release.

But prosecutor Anthony Williamson disagreed.

“I would submit to the contrary – it’s overwhelming,” he said.

Most of the crystalline substance found at the house was allegedly located in the pockets of a dressing gown – a garment the defendant allegedly admitted to owning.

The court heard police intercepted a telephone call between Licciardello and another person allegedly arranging a drug deal at a church.

A statement of facts reveals officers allegedly watched the defendant drive to the vicinity of a Braddon church and meet with another person.

The other man was later stopped and searched, with police allegedly discovering a clip seal bag of a crystalline substance bearing a motif similar to those on bags seized fro the defendant’s house.

Special Magistrate Graeme Lunney refused bail, agreeing with the prosecutor that the strength or weakness of the Crown case didn’t amount to extraordinary circumstances.

Liccardello is due back in court on Monday.