Strike Force Spartan: Oliver Dedich and Mitchel Gow likely to face sentence over commercial drug supply, court told

Lawyers for two alleged ringleaders of a Central Coast drug syndicate have told a court they would ‘likely’ plead guilty with final talks around facts and a fresh charge delaying proceedings.

The lawyers of two men picked up during a series of pre-dawn raids across the Central Coast — where police seized 3.6kg of cocaine, 3kg of cannabis along with pistols, a rifle, a taser and a police shirt — have given their strongest indication yet that the matters will end in “guilty pleas”.

Mitchell Gow, 40, of Ourimbah, faced Wyong Local Court on Tuesday after he was arrested on March 30, 2023 and charged with two counts of supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs and participating in a criminal group.

Mr Gow was also charged with possessing a gel blaster pistol and supplying a further 581.6g of cocaine.

Gow’s solicitor told the court the matter would likely resolve in guilty pleas but said her client had recently been served with a fresh weapons offence.

She said this would require his defence to go back and review search warrant footage to decide how they would proceed with that allegation.

Mitchell Gow, then aged 38, was arrested at Ourimbah after a series of raids on the Central Coast. Picture: NewsCorp

Mr Gow’s bail was continued to reappear on March 18.

His co-accused Oliver Jovanovic Dedich, 41, of Berkeley Vale, was not required to appear via video link from custody where he is facing 15 charges including possessing a pistol, another replica pistol, cultivating cannabis and two counts of recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime after police allegedly seized two lots of cash totalling $32,000 and $20,000.

Police attached to Strike Force Spartan assemble after the raids in March 2023. Picture: NewsCorp

His solicitor, Manny Conditsis, told the court the final negotiations around a set of agreed facts were nearing completion and his client would be in a position to plead guilty on the next occasion.

It comes after detectives from the National Anti-Gangs Squad (NAGS) — comprising officers from the State Crime Command’s Criminal Groups Squad and Australian Federal Police — commenced an investigation in late 2022 under Strike Force Spartan into an alleged organised criminal syndicate facilitating the supply of prohibited drugs on the Central Coast.

Mr Gow and Mr Dedich were arrested in a series of coordinated raids on March 30, 2023, at homes in Ourimbah, Empire Bay, Berkeley Vale and Chittaway Bay.

A storage shed at Berkeley Vale was also searched where police seized 3.6kg of cocaine, 3kg of cannabis, weapons and other items officers will allege in court were consistent with the supply of drugs.

Police officers and Raptor Squad members raid a house in Ourimbah on the Central Coast. Picture: NewsCorp

Two other men were also arrested and charged in the raids and have since pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.

Those two men, aged 29 of Empire Bay, and 41, of Chittaway Bay, remain on bail and will face Gosford District Court on February 27 to fix a trial date.