A man who smuggled tobacco and drugs into a prison by swallowing balloons has faced court.
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Luke Tones pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Friday after he was refused bail.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Clint Prebble said Tones' daughter attended Hopkins Corrections Centre, near Ararat, to visit her father on March 30 with eight small balloons containing contraband.
The court heard the daughter met with Tones in the visitation area, purchased a drink for him and placed one balloon at a time into his drink for him to consume.
Senior Constable Prebble said Tones consumed six balloons during the visit and managed to regurgitate two of the balloons in his cell.
The court heard he told officers what had happened the following day when he felt unwell as four balloons remained in his stomach.
On April 1 he was taken to St Vincent's Hospital for the remaining balloons to be surgically removed.
The balloons were collected and provided to police.
It was found three contained tightly packed tobacco and rolling papers, while one contained 0.72 grams of methamphetamine.
When interviewed, Tones told police he thought the contents of the balloons were tobacco.
"As far as my knowledge goes, I didn't have a drug of dependence," he said when told it was an offence for prisoners to possess a drug of dependence.
As far as my knowledge goes, I didn't have a drug of dependence
- Luke Tones
In another matter, Senior Constable Prebble said police were called to Yuille Park School on December 21 due to an alarm and found Tones inside the school.
The court heard Tones had broken through the window, causing $500 damage and was found with zip lock bags in his pockets containing methamphetamine and ecstasy.
Defence barrister Thomas Crouch said Tones had experienced homelessness and he broke into the school to charge his phone.
Mr Crouch said while Tones had a criminal history, including 180 days in jail, he had a five year period crime free.
The court heard a Court Integrated Services Program report showed Tones was willing to engage in drug treatment and rehabilitation and that was a driver of his offending.
"There is real hope for him," Mr Crouch said.
Magistrate Ron Saines said Tones would need to be assessed for a community corrections order before he was sentenced, but he indicated he would likely impose a prison term of one month time served.
Tones will return to court on January 24 for sentencing.