Young Bhutanese man who allegedly held $78,590 of stolen cash in garbage bags pleads not guilty

A 24-year-old man who allegedly possessed two garbage bags stuffed full of thousands of dollars in stolen cash will plead his case after his lawyer assured the court he has “an explanation”. Kelzang Dorji appeared in Katanning Magistrates Court on March 24 charged with possession of stolen or unlawfully obtained property. He pleaded not guilty to the single charge. The court was told that on December 12, 2025, in Beaufort River, Mr Dorji allegedly had the care of two black garbage bags. They held a collective total of $78,590 in Australian cash. His lawyer Ken Bates told the court his client has “got an explanation” and the matter could be dealt with in a magistrate court trial. Mr Bates recommended a full-day trial, but police prosecutor Sgt Dylan Fisher suggested a half-day after looking over the evidence. He said Mr Dorji would require a Dzongkha interpreter. Dzongkha is the national language of Bhutan. Magistrate Rosemarie Myers said she had “grave concerns” with the court’s ability to find a Dzongkha interpreter because it had failed to do so for previous matters unrelated to Mr Dorji. Ms Myers proposed finding an acquaintance of Mr Dorji’s to interpret as a back-up, despite not being a registered court interpreter. The accused will next appear in Katanning Magistrates Court on October 12 for a trial.