Emily Arena, 28, pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple drug offences at Melbourne Magistrates' Court after being arrested in the central business district in May following months on the run with an outstanding warrant.
Police arrested Arena after officers spotted her standing beside a stolen 2016 grey Mercedes-Benz on Elizabeth Street. A search found several illicit substances, including three bags of methamphetamine, diazepam or valium, and sildenafil, the court heard.
Prosecutors told the court Arena had previously been arrested in November when police found ketamine, GHB, bags of methamphetamine and a set of scales inside a Christian Dior handbag after stopping another allegedly stolen vehicle. Magistrates were told she was "visibly shaking" as officers approached.
Arena admitted in court that she had used drugs "on and off" since she was 19. She told police one vial contained GHB in baby oil and said the bags of drugs were for personal use. Her lawyer told the court she had reduced her use and had not used methamphetamine for the past two months.
Arena has prior convictions for drug trafficking, the court record shows. She avoided immediate imprisonment in the latest matter and was fined $1,500. Defence counsel said Arena no longer works at the Lonsdale Street strip club where she was previously employed and is now "self-employed as an escort," supporting herself while living in a short-term rental after a recent eviction.
The current proceedings follow a string of incidents that attracted police attention and media coverage. Arena and her partner, convicted trafficker David Jurd, were the subject of surveillance by the Victoria Police Organised Crime Squad while living in a Prahran East townhouse in September 2023, the court heard. The pair were evicted after police alleged they were unlawfully subletting the property.
Neighbours and a private investigator, speaking to the Daily Mail, alleged the townhouse was left in a heavily unsanitary condition after Arena and Jurd moved out, with reports of faeces, used syringes, sex toys and spoiled food. The private detective told the newspaper the leaseholder who placed the couple in the property admitted taking a fee, and that threats were made to those who informed on them. Those claims have been reported by media and attributed to the private investigator and local sources.
Jurd has a documented criminal history that includes convictions for trafficking MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine. He was previously given a 45-month drug treatment order but later breached its conditions and was imprisoned, court records show. Arena and Jurd were previously arrested in 2021 after police found methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, more than $33,000 in cash and weapons during a search of a CBD Airbnb, according to earlier reports.
Victoria Police declined to comment beyond court statements about the May arrest. The daily newspaper account that detailed the alleged threats and the condition of the townhouse attributed those allegations to neighbours and a private investigator rather than to court findings.
At Wednesday’s hearing, the magistrate recorded Arena’s guilty pleas to the new charges and imposed the fine. Arena’s lawyer told the court she is seeking permanent accommodation and trying to stabilise her situation while addressing substance use. The matter underscores continuing police scrutiny of people linked by association and location to organised crime investigations, and it follows earlier law enforcement actions targeting the couple’s activities over several years.