Aussie rapper Dylan ‘Dondrino’ Thurnwald pleads guilty to 12 drug charges in Brisbane Supreme Court
An Aussie rapper with nearly 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify has pleaded guilty to 12 drug charges after being busted with significant quantities of pure methamphetamine and steroids.
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An Australian rapper with millions of Spotify and YouTube views and a track titled ‘Thank You Drugs’ has learnt his fate in court, after being busted with 11 different illegal drugs.
Dylan Nathaniel Thomas Thurnwald, who uses the stage name “Dondrino”, pleaded guilty to 12 drug charges in Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old possessed significant quantities of pure methamphetamine and steroids, and while he is a relapsed addict, he “partly had a commercial purpose” for the drugs.
Thurnwald, who grew up on the Sunshine Coast, has released tracks such as ‘Thank You Drugs’, ‘I Promise’ and ‘Violate’, the latter has almost 1.3 million views on YouTube.
He has close to 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, around 21,000 followers on Facebook, and more than 10,000 subscribers on YouTube.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Crown Prosecutor Geoffrey Wong said Thurnwald has a “lengthy criminal history” which was all drug-related offending.
“This is a man who has failed to overcome addiction issues over a lengthy period of time,” Mr Wong told the court.
The prosecution submitted that a four-year jail sentence was appropriate for Thurnwald.
Defence barrister Scott Carter said his client had been “doing well” on a suboxone treatment program at Nambour following his 2021 drug conviction.
However, Thurnwald left the Sunshine Coast because he and his then-partner separated, so he moved back to Brisbane, where he was unable to continue the suboxone program.
“That is how he relapsed and is before the court today,” Mr Carter said.
Mr Carter said Thurnwald’s main support was his sister in Brisbane. His mother died from cancer five years ago, his relationship with his father deteriorated when his mum was unwell.
“He does plan to continue his music when he gets out,” Mr Carter said.
Thurnwald was sentenced for three counts of possessing drugs in excess of two grams, two counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of possessing property suspected of being linked to a drug offence. The rest were drug-related utensils or property offences.
In sentencing, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill noted Thurnwald’s history, including a 2015 sentence of three years’ jail in Maryborough District Court for drug trafficking and producing, and a 2021 sentence in Brisbane Supreme Court of 12 months’ jail for drug possession.
The Chief Justice also noted the quantities involved in the current offending - 4.6g of pure amphetamine, 6.5g of pure methamphetamine, 14.8g of MDMA, and 46.5g of steroids.
“You’ve got a lot of your life left to live … and stay away from drugs - using them and selling them,” Justice Bowskill said.
Thurnwald was sentenced to four years behind bars, but because he had served almost 13 months in pre-sentence custody, Justice Bowskill ordered he be immediately eligible to apply for parole. Convictions were recorded.
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