Kings Way: John Dimkopoulos allegedly flees police with drugs
A Lalor man allegedly drove into two cars and off an embankment on Kings Way to get away from police in built up traffic. He was allegedly then found in a taxi with bags of drugs.
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A man allegedly drove into two cars and off an embankment on Kings Way to get away from police before he was caught in a taxi with bags allegedly filled with drugs.
Police then allegedly found legers revealing John Dimkopoulos was owed more than $15,000 for drugs he’d sold, and found many conversations about drug deals on his phone, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court has heard.
The 44-year-old applied for bail before the court on Tuesday, July 28, having been charged with four counts of drug trafficking while on a community corrections order.
He was arrested in Lalor on Friday, June 12 after he allegedly fled from police in the city.
The court heard police were driving behind Dimkopoulos on Spencer St just after 1.30pm when their ANPR noticed stolen number plates on the Ford he was driving, which had also allegedly been stolen.
They followed him through Southbank until he stopped the car in built-up traffic on Kings Way, where two police officers approached the Ford on foot.
Dimkopoulos allegedly then drove the car into Mercedes and Mini Cooper stopped in heavy traffic, causing minor damage to the two cars, and over a concrete barrier onto exposed tram tracks to escape police.
The court heard the car dropped about 30cm off the concrete embankment, extensively damaging its front.
Witnesses allegedly told police they then saw Dimkopoulos drive erratically before he ditched the Ford in a carpark on St Kilda Rd, and he and his girlfriend jumped into a taxi carrying six bags.
Police tracked the taxi, arresting the couple in Lalor about 2.43pm.
Dimkopoulos allegedly had $2720 cash, a gram of cannabis, his phone and the key to the stolen car on him and was unlicensed at the time.
Police allegedly found 885ml of GHB, 5g of methamphetamine, 22g of cannabis, 15 prescription tablets, 2g of cocaine, a vial of steroids, two drug trafficking legers and an extra phone.
The legers allegedly revealed Dimkopoulos was owed more than $15,000 for drugs he’d sold, with names on the lists corresponding with messages found on his phone about drug deals.
Police allegedly found many conversations in which Dimkopoulos discussed people owing him money, selling drugs, and in which he bragged about having the “best gear in Melbourne”.
Police argued Dimkopoulos should be remanded, having endangered the safety of the public and police and having previously been jailed for drug trafficking.
Lawyer Lauren Tye argued there were significant issues in proving the drug trafficking and possession charges, saying delays imposed by COVID-19 could mean Dimkopoulos was remanded for longer than time he could be sentenced to.
She said Dimkopoulos could be supervised by the Court Integrated Services Program and his teenage daughter wanted him home.
Magistrate Stephen Ballek noted Dimkopoulos had a significant criminal history, but said there was a strong police case for only some of the charges, meaning he was at risk of spending too long on remand.
He granted bail, banning Dimkopoulos from driving and seeing his girlfriend
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