Dean James Vanderleest pleads guilty to trafficking marijuana

A Beerwah father and drug trafficker decided not to sell on tick to the majority of customers during a stint of dealing after losing more than $4000 in bad debts.

A Beerwah retail worker who trafficked weed unknown to police for several years decided to have a short break during the pandemic before reviving his booming trade until his arrest.

Dean James Vanderleest, 30, was handed a suspended jail term in Maroochydore District Court on Friday, June 3, 2022, for trafficking marijuana for five out of six years over two extended periods.

The court heard Vanderleest was 23 when started his own entrepreneurial business in drugs where he would use cryovac machines to sell weed.

Crown prosecutor Madalyn Olivero said his operation was busted open when police raised his Beerwah home on May 21, 2021 when he was 29.

Vanderleest confessed to police there was 734g of marijuana in his home along with more than $2400 in cash, cryovac bags, cannabis seeds, and drug paraphernalia.

Ms Olivero told the court Vanderleest stopped dealing drugs over the pandemic because supply was hard to source but started again from February 20 2021, where he would deal street-level quantities to five or six regular customers until he was sprung three months later.

The court heard during his interview with police he said he transitioned away from “more dodgy customers” in the early stages of his business and gravitated to supplying his mates and family.

The court heard the Beerwah man would sell anywhere from quarter ounces to ounces and even a pound at one point.

His selling price was $90 for 7g of marijuana or $320 for an ounce with a potential turnover between $5120 to $5760 per pound.

Ms Olivero said he started dealing drugs to provide drugs to family members who suffered from health problems.

At one point he used his drug profits to buy puppies, the court heard.

Maroochydore Courthouse. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Defence barrister Dan Boddice said the true extent of the Bundaberg-born retail worker’s drug trafficking was only brought to light when he confessed it to police.

Mr Boddice said during his trafficking he only had five to six friends he would sell to and that he was not profiting.

Judge Michael Byrne pointed to the fact that he lost $4500 due to bad debts in his first stint of drug dealing.

He said Vanderleest learnt in his second three-month stint and didn’t “sell on tick” to the majority of his customers like his first few years of dealing.

Vanderleest pleaded guilty to seven charges including trafficking in dangerous drugs and possessing property obtained from trafficking and was sentenced to four years’ jail, suspended for four years.

He was then ordered to perform 150 hours’ community service.

Convictions were recorded.