Undercover cops bring two Victorian music venue owners undone

Two owner-operators of Victorian music venues became unstuck after being identified by undercover cops.

Chris Lytros, 50, who ran the Railway Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, has been jailed for 12 years with a minimum period of eight years.

He sold ice and cocaine to an undercover cop who paid a total $67,800 on eight separate occasions between November 2015 and April 2016.

“Your offending is extremely serious and has a grave impact on the community,” County Court judge Geoffrey Chettle told Lytros yesterday.

Lytros has spent two years behind bars while awaiting sentencing.

Meanwhile, in regional Bendigo, Paul Tzountzourkas who runs the Music Man has been charged with selling MDMA, LSD, ecstasy and cocaine.

The 42-year old told the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court he turned to selling drugs because of the expense of running the club, the Bendigo Advertiser reported.

He allegedly sold the drugs to undercover cops during a sting earlier this year.

His lawyer argued he should get bail as the club would close without him, putting staff out of work, but police successfully argued that he was likely to re-offend because of his financial situation.

Tzountzourkas’s lawyer told the court when asking for bail,

“The offending is out of desperation.

“He has some financial problems, he was doing that to make some extra money. He was stupid to do so.”