A champion Victorian kickboxer has been sent for trial in the County Court for trafficking heroin - despite admissions from the magistrate the case against him wasn't "particularly strong".
Dragan "Machinegun Charlie" Arnautovic, who won the Victorian cruiserweight title in May last year, pleaded guilty to possessing heroin but pleaded not guilty to trafficking the drug, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard.
The court heard police found 10.4g of heroin on Mr Arnautovic, 45, of Herne Hill, when they arrested him in Truganina on June 12 last year.
The kickboxer told police the heroin was for personal use to help him cope with pain.
The prize fighter's lawyer, Shane Tyrrell, said although his client admitted to drug possession, police had insufficient evidence to support heroin trafficking charges.
Mr Tyrrell said $3000 cash found in his client's possession was money he won when he bet on himself in the title fight.
Six police officers told the court they had observed Mr Arnautovic meeting with known drug dealers between April and June last year, but admitted they did not see anything change hands.
The court was told that Mr Arnautovic had two prior convictions for drug offences and was released from prison in August 2006.
Police informant Det-Sgt Kerin Moloney said Mr Arnautovic had connections to the Bandidos and Rebels Motorcycle Club through kickboxing.
Det-Sgt Moloney said as a result of the police drug investigation, they had also uncovered information leading to a separate investigation into the kickboxer's involvement in match fixing.
Telephone intercepts also revealed coded conversations, which were capable of being understood as references to drug trafficking, the prosecution alleged.
But Mr Tyrrell said police had not provided statements analysing the codes and therefore his client's conversations could not be presumed to be about drug trafficking.
Magistrate Jon Klestadt agreed the case was circumstantial, but ordered Mr Arnautovic to appear in the County Court in June for a case conference.
"In terms of circumstantial cases I would have to agree with Mr Tyrrell that it is not a particularly strong one," Mr Klestadt said.
But he said he was "of the view that there are matters of sufficient weight that could lead jurors to form the view there is a circumstantial case for heroin trafficking".
Mr Arnautovic was denied bail. His co-accused, Tracie Legaweic, his former partner and the mother of his two children, was also ordered to face the County Court for heroin possession and trafficking. Ms Legaweic, 43, of Port Melbourne, has reserved her plea. She is on bail.
'Machine Gun' Charlie sent to trial