A senior member of the Gold Coast chapter of the Bandidos outlaw bikie gang will spend little more than two years behind bars after admitting to trafficking 10,000 ecstasy tablets.
Brian Neville Peters, 34, faced Brisbane District Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking and supplying dangerous drugs in late 2009 and early 2010.
He also pleaded guilty to a number of offences relating to the possession of ecstasy, tainted jewellery and ammunition.
Peters, from Varsity Lakes, admitted supplying an associate with 10,000 ecstasy tablets over three occasions in Broadbeach in November and December 2009.
On the first occasion he sold 4000 tablets containing methylamphetamine, while on the second and third occasions he provided 3000 tablets.
The court was told Peters was connected with Gold Coast drug kingpin Daniel Kalaja, who was arrested in a massive police swoop in 2010 and has since admitted to operating one of the nation's largest drug syndicates.
Justice Peter Lyons noted Peters was connected with key figures in the Gold Coast's illegal drug trade, although he had refused to name his associates when questioned by police.
"You were obviously in a position to obtain these drugs and were supplying them to a person who was heavily involved in the Gold Coast drug trade, and perhaps further afield," he said.
Peters was arrested following a lengthy police operation, in which detectives tapped thousands of phone calls between the bikie and his associates.
He was released from prison on bail soon after, but was arrested again in July last year, after police raided his Varsity Lakes home and found him in possession of several kilograms of precursor chemicals used to make amphetamines, as well as drug-making instructions, ammunition and amphetamines for his own use.
Defence barrister Jeffrey Hunter SC said Peters had sourced the precursor chemicals, including a large quantity of iodine, with the intention of selling them to support his own addiction to the drug.
Mr Hunter said Peters had relied upon the drug to help control his attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Crown prosecutor Glen Cash said Peters should be sentenced at least nine years' jail due to his significant criminal history and offending while on bail, but Mr Hunter successfully argued a for a lesser penalty.
Mr Hunter said Peters had become a model prisoner whilst being held on remand.
He said Peters had become a respected mentor to younger prisoners and had completed a diploma of business, while regularly attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Justice Lyons noted Peters' psychologist was cautiously optimistic about his rehabilitation, but decided to impose a less severe sentence of 7½ years' jail.
He declared 10 months Peters has been held on remand as time already served under the sentence.
Peters will be eligible for parole on December 31, 2013, after serving 20 months behind bars.