OFF THE WIRE
Emmaline Stigwood
goldcoast.com.au
A SENIOR Bandidos bikie arrested on the Gold Coast today got a lesser sentence for drug trafficking because he now mentors others in prison.
Brian Neville Peters' attempts to rehabilitate himself since being arrested as part of a major police operation into drugs on the Gold Coast were read to the Supreme Court in Brisbane where he lawyers successfully got him a sentence below what the Crown asked.
Peters, 34, who has previous convictions for drugs and was caught preparing to make kilograms of amphetamines while on bail last year pleaded guilty to 10 charges.
Covering his neck tattoos with a shirt, he admitted he trafficked about 10,000 ecstasy tablets over a few months at the end of 2010 for which he was today sentenced to seven years and six months in jail.
The court was told he was picked up doing the deals with kingpin Daniel Kalaja who has since pleaded guilty running a major national drug trafficking network.
Police caught Peters in three supplies of ecstasy pills but he was released on bail.
Then in July last year a raid at his Varsity Lakes address found him in possession of several kilograms of precursors drugs used to make amphetamines as well as ammunition, drug-making instructions and amphetamines for his own use.
He was held on remand until today when he appeared for sentence.
The Crown argued he should face up to nine years' jail given his significant trafficking, criminal history and offending while on bail.
