The head of a multimillion-dollar drug empire who kidnapped and murdered his syndicate's "ice cook" - has been jailed for 32 years.

Brok Seckold, 31, a talented chef who preferred to be called "Diablo", the Spanish word for devil, was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury after a four-week trial of kidnapping and murdering nightclub promoter turned methamphetamine cook Yengo Faugere in October 2011.

Seckold pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and firearms charges.

Mr Faugere's remains were found in a barrel in the back of a ute at a property in St Leonards on the Bellarine Peninsula.

He had been kidnapped from his Maribyrnong home and taken to Mansfield, where he was murdered and his body dismembered.

Justice Lex Lasry described the kidnapping and murder as "callous and horrifying".

Justice Lasry said Seckold had been obsessed with making money and committed the crimes with the aim of advancing and protecting his drug manufacturing enterprise.

Seckold had hoped to make $10 million from his drug syndicate and paid cash for a $42,000 Mercedes.

In jailing Seckold for 32 years with a non-parole period of 25 years, the judge said the planned execution of Mr Faugere was one of the worst murders committed in Victoria.

As he was being led from court, Seckold stopped and bowed to the judge.

Seckold had recruited Mr Faugere, 23, from Cessnock in NSW, to process methamphetamine at a laboratory in Canterbury before police discovered the lab in July 2011.

The drugs boss wrongly suspected Mr Faugere had stolen the drugs and tipped off police to cover up the theft. Seckold believed the loss of the drug lab had cost him $1 million.

Seckold shot Mr Faugere, cut up his body with a chainsaw and tried to dissolve it in acid. He placed most of the remains in a portable cooler before taking a boat out into the bay and throwing the cooler overboard, but it did not sink.

Seckold and his associates drilled holes in the cooler but still it stayed afloat. In the end, Seckold tipped the remains into the bay.

Seckold later joked to an old school friend, Lloyd Jenman, about what had happened to Mr Faugere.

Mr Jenman said when his girlfriend handed him a letter addressed to Mr Faugere from a hairdresser, Seckold laughed and said: "It's hard to have a haircut when you don't have any arms or legs".

Mr Jenman claimed Seckold went on to tell him that after Mr Faugere was kidnapped, he was taken to a field at Mansfield and Seckold shot him in the side of the head.

Seckold was arrested and charged with murder after the rest of Mr Faugere's remains were found inside a barrel on the back of a ute in a shed at a semi-rural property at St Leonards, on the Bellarine Peninsula.

The discovery was made by police during a raid on a large, sophisticated drug laboratory.

Seckold's right-hand man, Matthew Lowe, an electrician turned pilot for the drug syndicate, was found guilty by a jury of murdering Mr Faugere but not guilty of kidnapping him. He is yet to be sentenced.

Outside court, Mr Faugere's mother, Florrie Pinto, said she was satisfied with Seckold's sentence.

"It's been really, really devastating for us," Ms Pinto said. "Yengo was such a wonderful person.

"It saddens me someone intelligent [Seckold] and a person that could have contributed so much ... could take this action only for financial reasons.

"The motivation's been money and drugs. It is very saddening for us."