By Goya Dmytryshchak
Former Australian kickboxing champion Dragan ‘Machine Gun Charlie’ Arnautovic has lost his bid to appeal a 10-year jail term for drug trafficking.
The 56-year-old was found guilty by a County Court jury of trafficking a commercial quantity of heroin and trafficking methylamphetamine between November 9 and December 17, 2016.
He was sentenced last June to a non-parole period of eight years in prison.
The Melton West resident and gym owner had sold drugs to covert police at Laverton and Williamstown. Drugs were also found at his home and underneath his mother’s house in St Albans.
In total, police recovered about $374,000 worth of drugs.
Arnautovic, who has spent about 24 years in custody since 1990, committed his latest offences while on parole for similar offences.
The sentencing judge stated that in light of Arnautovic’s three prior substantial terms of imprisonment for similar offences, deterrence, denunciation and protection of the community were important considerations.
Arnautovic’s appeal was based on claims that he shouldn’t have been charged for two different drugs when they had been found simultaneously. However, Court of Appeal justices Emilios Kyrou and Lesley Taylor struck out his bid to appeal.
“We reject the applicant’s submission that the fact that the methylamphetamine was stored in the same location as the heroin diminishes the seriousness of the offending.
“The two offences involved different drugs.
“They would have caused their own separate harm to those who would have used them.”
Arnautovic will be eligible for parole in 2026.
His 77-year-old mother was not charged.
