Court told a prominent Brisbane businessman trafficked drugs to pay bills
A Brisbane businessman with the management rights to upmarket apartments in some of the city’s most exclusive suburbs sold cocaine on 67 occasions, a court has heard — using the money to pay bills and fund his own habit.
Police & Courts
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A well-known Brisbane businessman who owns the management rights to some of the city’s most affluent apartments has been sentenced for trafficking cocaine to dozens of buyers.
The court heard the trafficking helped “make some extra money to pay bills” and “to support his own habit.”
Jonathan Miller, 47, who operates and owns management rights to Teneriffe’s Dakota Woolstore apartments, was raided by police in his inner-city home in May last year.
The father-of-two was charged with four offences, including trafficking and possessing dangerous drugs.
The court heard police found a phone with evidence of Miller’s trafficking business, which uncovered a list of 25 identifiable customers whom Miller had sold varying amounts of cocaine to across a 15-month period from January 2018 to May 2019.
Crown Prosecutor Rebecca Marks told the court some of Miller’s offending had overlapped with a good behaviour bond from a previous drug-related offence.
The court was told in some cases, Miller would supply drugs on a credit basis and was also aware some of his buyers were onselling drugs.
“He usually supplied to customers anywhere between once every few weeks to once every few months, (and) on several occasions he would advise that he was selling out fast or he had run out and would not restock until the next day,” Ms Marks said.
Police found evidence of 67 occasions of supply, identified from an analysis of Miller’s phone.
For using his phone as a tool to sell drugs, Miller was charged with “possessing anything used in the commission of crime”.
He was also charged with “possession of property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence under drugs misuse act”.
During the search warrant of his unit, Miller, who sold one gram of cocaine for the average street value price of $350, indicated to police the $6300 located would have taken a few weeks of selling to build up.
The court heard that upon the search of his home, Miller admitted to possessing and supplying cocaine.
He also provided police with the pass code to his phone, and showed them the location on the device of the tick list of six customers — some still owing amounts of up to $1100 for cocaine.
Representing Miller, defence barrister Tony Kimmins said his client had “suffered as a result of his own stupidity.”
“He has been forced to sell a second lot of management rights, which not only cost him a substantial amount of money on the sale, but also he no longer receives a large yearly dividend,” Mr Kimmins said.
It’s understood Miller, who was sentenced to five years’ jail, wholly suspended, was forced to sell his management rights to Hamilton Harbour Residences as a result of his offending.