Prolific drug dealer Dylan Whitfield pleads guilty to trafficking meth, MDMA and 1,4 butanediol
A prolific Melbourne drug dealer under police surveillance was nabbed with $59,000 cash while off his chops at a Bunnings.
South East
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A prolific Melbourne meth dealer busted with $59,000 while off his head at a Bunnings has been jailed.
Dylan Whitfield, 30, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a minimum six-year and six-month jail term after pleading guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of meth.
Whitfield, of Officer, came under the eye of police after he was spotted “behaving erratically” at Bunnings Springvale in December, 2020.
Investigators searched Whitfield and seized $1250 cash, mobile phones and a Mercedes Benz key.
Police then searched the Merc and seized meth and $58,625 stashed in various bags.
Investigators analysed CCTV footage which showed Whitfield exiting the Mercedes and enter the Bunnings.
Whitfield, who was arrested and remanded in custody, was so drug-affected he almost got hit by a car, the court was told.
The court heard Whitfield was a person of interest in a much larger covert police drug trafficking at the time of his unrelated arrest at Bunnings.
Whitfield, who also pleaded guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of 1,4 butanediol, and two others were being probed by police who launched covert op ‘DTF-FROZEN-2020’.
A key drug dealer was the main subject of the covert op but investigators identified “early” that Whitfield was a “primary customer” of the kingpin.
Cops installed a bug in the drug dealer’s Mercedes and listened in on conversations between their primary target and Whitfield.
Audio of the pair’s drug-addled conversations was played to the court.
“Hold up, hold up, can you pass me that … careful there’s heaps of money in there … it’s full of money … who’s that?” the drug dealer said.
“You could’ve told me and I could have grabbed it before … now jump out, jump out, I need the f**ken space.
“Keys, keys, keys … oh shit, f**k, my gun … oh f**k grab my gun from the back … it’s loaded, it’s loaded, it’s loaded …
“Just give it to me … and the yellow one, cuz … and the other one … how much you
got there.”
“Four short …,” Whitfield said.
“Four grand short,” the drug dealer said.
Still got like 22 … the other one the other one …,” Whitfield said.
“There’s four here, two and two,” the dealer said.
“Alright no worries, catch ya after,” Whitfield.
Investigators gathered evidence Whitfield bought more than a kilo of meth during 12 separate transactions while under police surveillance between July and October, 2020.
The court heard the primary target was arrested on October 27, less than two months before Whitfield was nabbed at Bunnings.
Whitfield, who also pleaded guilty to trafficking meth and MDMA and dealing with the proceeds of crime, was earlier pinged with multiple drugs at a South Yarra apartment.
Investigators raided the Toorak Rd apartment and seized meth, 4 butanediol, $6220, deal bags, scales and a safe which contained MDMA on April 29, 2020.
Investigators also discovered messages in a mobile which indicated Whitfield had peddled drugs.
CCTV footage also revealed numerous people coming and going from Whitfield’s apartment which police claim was “consistent with drug trafficking activity”.
Whitfield, a father, was jailed for a maximum nine years and one month.
