Dylan Markovic: Dealing Springvale junkie swapped ice for shotgun
Two blokes were nabbed acting strangely in a Springvale side street. But arresting detectives were shocked at what they found.
South East
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A druggie who had swapped a bag of ice for a sawn-off shotgun was later found by cops with the loaded firearm in his car with ammo, meth and thousands of dollars in cash.
Dylan Markovic and a mate were nabbed by detectives while doing an ice deal in a Springvale side street in the middle of the night in a ute with dodgy plates.
He tried to run off but only got about 10m before he was caught, capsicum-sprayed and handcuffed.
He originally tried to resist arrest but then did the honest thing and told the cops about the shooter he had stored in his ute.
The Albion 30-year-old pleaded guilty to a range of gun, ammunition, drugs, proceeds of crime and possession charges at the online Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
The court heard Dandenong detectives were patrolling Springvale on February 11 this year when at 1am they saw a parked ute with different number plates.
They watched as Markovic, sitting in the driver’s seat, and the other man, standing on the footpath, chatted before going backwards and forwards to the rear of the ute.
Officers got out and as they walked towards the pair, the dodgy tried to do a runner.
Markovic attempted to fight off the detectives but was overpowered with the help of OC spray.
When he settled down he told the cops to be careful as there was a loaded gun in the car.
They found the sawn off shotgun resting between the passenger seat and console, with one cartridge inside ready to be fired.
They also uncovered a total of $3350 in cash, a knife, two shotgun rounds, a ziplock bag of cannabis, a 4g bag of ice, digital scales, smoking paraphernalia, gardening gloves, tools and mobile phones.
Markovic openly admitted dealing drugs and the cash was from selling, and said he swapped the shotgun for a $500 bag of ice a few days before.
He said he loaded it himself and knew it was capable of being fired.
His defence lawyer said the welder had longstanding issues with ice and had relapsed after a relationship breakdown.
He said his addiction was “like a disease” that had “crept back up on him” and he reverted to reoffending to feed his habit.
He said Markovic was frank with police and knows he is on his “last hurrah”, but wanted to get help to be rehabilitated.
Magistrate Suzette Dootjes said it was extremely dangerous for someone to have a loaded firearm in a vehicle when they were involved in dealing drugs.
She said it was very serious offending that could result in 10 years in prison and while she may consider a community corrections order, that and the 68 days he has spent in custody would not be enough.
“In my view even if he is suitable for a CCO there has to be a significant period of imprisonment first,” Ms Dootjes said.
Markovic will be sentenced on April 27.
