Champion Melbourne kickboxer Atdhe Bunjaku pleads guilty to cultivating cannabis

A world champion Melbourne kickboxer is on the ropes after he was knocked out with handguns and almost 100kg of cannabis.

Melbourne boxer Atdhe Bunjaku pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis. Facebook.

A champion Melbourne kickboxer caught with almost 100kg of cannabis plants warned anti-bikie cops he had two handguns which “may be loaded”.

Atdhe Bunjaku, 37, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to charges including cultivating cannabis simpliciter.

Bunjaku was pinged at his Altona home with a “sophisticated” hydroponic cannabis set up on January 13 this year.

Echo Taskforce Investigators raided the home and discovered a large quantity of cannabis plants and dried weed in the basement.

Police also discovered a reticulated watering system, high-powered lighting hanging from the basement ceiling, soil, chemicals and cultivation tools.

Bypassed electricity powered the set up, the court was told.

Bunjaku was pinged with 25 mature plants which weighed a combined 98 kgs, a quantity of cannabis in “varying stages of drying”, six electrical bypasses, four mobile phones, 19 LED horticulture UFO lights and a Trimpro rotor.

Bunjaku also told police he had two guns near the front of his home which “may be loaded”.

Investigators seized a Grendel PT12 pistol and a Bayard 32 calibre semi-automatic handgun, neither of which bore serial numbers.

Police also discovered a stack of ammunition.

Bunjaku is a professional boxer.

The defence submitted Bunjaku’s set up “wasn’t sophisticated”.

“There wasn’t an underground bunker,” the defence submitted.

However, Magistrate Timothy Gattuso disagreed with the defence submission after viewing photos of the hydro set up.

“So that lacks sophistication … it’s a pretty elaborate set up,” Magistrate Gattuso said.

“It’s got the insulation around the walls as well … its got the heat lamps coming down. I don’t agree with that assessment (it’s lacking sophistication).”

Bunjaku, a professional boxer who runs his own gym ‘Altona Kickboxing’, was arrested, charged and remanded in custody.

The world champion kickboxer was bailed the following day.

Magistrate Gattuso denied Bunjaku’s application to have his matter dealt with at the magistrates’ court.

Bunjaku, who also pleaded guilty to possessing a trafficable quantity of firearms and electricity theft, will face the County Court in February next year.

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