Tyson Julian Myles faces court for trafficking drugs in Toowoomba over 10-month period

A 26-year-old former MMA champion, who was caught multiple times with various quantities of cocaine, MDMA and cannabis, was sentenced to four years in jail but he won’t serve one day behind bars. See why here.

A former MMA fighter who trafficked drugs including cocaine and ecstasy in Toowoomba over a 10-month period has been sentenced to four years in jail – though he won’t serve one day behind bars.

Tyson Julian Myles, 26, had no criminal history when he embarked on his trafficking business from late 2019 to October 2020, Toowoomba Supreme Court was told on Monday.

Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said though police intercepts and searches of the then 23-year-old’s phone showed he only had four customers, because Myles had used the Snapchat app to avoid detection when dealing with drug users there could have been more customers.

He was first detected after being pulled over by police in the early hours of August 30, 2020, she said.

Former Queensland MMA bantamweight champion Tyson "The Viking" Myles pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Supreme Court on February 28, 2023, to drug trafficking.

A search of his jacket found $250, a diazepam tablet, eight clip seal bags containing a total 0.737g of pure cocaine and flick knife found in his car.

Taken to the hospital, a blood test showed he had cocaine and diazepam in his system, Ms Friedewald said.

A police search of his home on September 26, 2020, found a small amount of cannabis and diazepam and a grinder used for drugs which he said were all his, telling police he used diazepam to calm him after taking cocaine, she said.

On October 23, 2020, police again searched Myles’ home and again seized his phone on which was found drug deal messages but police also found a crawl space under the house that contained two safes where officers discovered 14g of substance in which was 6.224g pure cocaine, 39g of MDA, 0.047g of MDMA (ecstasy), 30g of cannabis, $9000 cash and a box of 50 .22 calibre bullets, Ms Friedewald said.

Despite this attention of police, Myles was again found with nine clip seal bags containing 1g of cocaine each, 31 MDA tablets when spoken to outside a CBD nightclub on December 13, 2020, and when strip searched at the watch house, another bag containing 1.824g of pure cocaine and ecstasy tablets were found.

Myles pleaded guilty to trafficking, four counts of possessing dangerous drugs, two of possessing dangerous drugs above the 2g schedule and to possessing proceeds of drug sales, possessing a weapon and drug utensils and ammunition.

His barrister Nathan Edridge told the court his client had since taken considerable steps to rehabilitate, had received psychological counselling, had finished a Lives Lived Well course, was on a mental health plan and no longer used drugs.

At the time, Myles had major depressive disorder and was under stress due to the birth of his first child, he said.

Justice Peter Applegarth sentenced the 26-year-old to a wholly suspended four-year jail term.

Myles at that time had no criminal history and had been a successful MMA fighter who won a Queensland bantamweight title and was employed as he was today, he said.

Justice Peter Applegarth said it was a difficult sentence as ordinarily such offending would bring a term of actual jail time but given the steps toward rehabilitation taken by Myles it was a question of whether the community was best served by him being imprisoned for a short time.

Justice Applegarth sentenced Myles to four years in jail but ordered the whole term be suspended for four years, placed him on three years probation and ordered he do 120 hours community service.

Originally published as Tyson Julian Myles faces court for trafficking drugs in Toowoomba over 10-month period