A former nurse has been arrested after the bomb squad were called in when a large cache of explosives and detonators was discovered in a suburban Melbourne home.
Zarna Barbar, 26, appeared in a Frankston court on Thursday charged with a string of offences following a raid of the Cranbourne property early on Wednesday morning.
A TikTok page run by Barbar features a video she filmed with an apparent boyfriend with the caption ‘partner in crime‘ and referred to herself with the hashtag ‘jail wife’.
Another video is captioned ‘good first date’ and showed her smiling on a night out with a man as police handcuffed him.
That video, shared in 2023, has been viewed by more than five million people.
Victoria Police allege about 15kg of explosives was found at the home, along with more than 40kg of chemicals used to make explosives, more than 60 detonation devices, and a quantity of illicit drugs.
‘The Bomb Response Unit was subsequently deployed to render the items safe,’ a police spokesman said.
The raid was initially carried out as part of an investigation into the theft of cars in the Frankston area in Melbourne’s south.
Zarna Barbar, 26, has been charged with a string of weapons, theft and drug offences following a raid at suburban Melbourne property
Barbar, who used to work as a nurse, appeared in a Frankston court on Thursday
Barbar was charged with possessing explosive substances and cartridge ammunition and the theft of a motor vehicle.
She was also charged with theft from a motor vehicle, trafficking a drug of dependence, three counts of possessing a drug of dependence, and handling stolen goods.
The raid at the Cranbourne property follows a series of unconnected raids this week across the city and regional Victoria as police cracked down on the illicit drug and firearms trade.
Detectives, with the support of tactical police, executed warrants across Balwyn, California Gully, Footscray, Footscray West, Rowville, Spotswood, Sunshine North and Warburton.
Drugs worth $500,000 were seized along with multiple firearms, large quantities of illegal cigarettes and vapes, and $150,000 in cash.
Six people were charged with a total of 40 drug and firearm offences.
