Lake Haven: Dean Russell Miller sentenced over his ‘out of control’ drug supply

A man managed to stay off drugs for about a month when he got out of jail before descending into full blown addiction and was selling large quantities of ice to fuel his abuse, a court heard.

After a lifetime of addiction which began with smoking cannabis aged 11, taking speed at 13 and heroin by 16, Dean Russell Miller didn’t want to be on the drugs when he turned 50.

But when he found himself released from jail in November 2019, with nowhere to live and no car to drive himself to the methadone clinic, he relapsed a month later.

By the time Tuggerah Lakes Police established Strike Force Harle in February 2020 to investigate the supply of prohibited drugs, and in particular methylamphetamine, in the northern parts of the coast Miller was by his own admission “out of control” and selling huge amounts of ice to fund his own addiction.

Tuggerah Lakes Police officers attached to Strike Force Harle seized drugs including methylamphetamine, GHB, cocaine, MDMA and cannabis with an estimated street value of nearly $250,000 and a further $210,000 cash in eight raids across the Central Coast. Picture: NSW Police

Miller was one of 15 people arrested during a series of simultaneous dawn raids across the Central Coast on July 31, 2020.

Eight men and seven women were arrested and charged with hundreds of offences as police allegedly seized ice, GBH, cocaine, MDMA and cannabis with an estimated street value of $250,000.

Police also seized more than $210,000 cash.

Miller was arrested at Lake Haven Motor Inn where police seized 1.068L of Gamma Butyrolactone in a Mount Franklin water bottle with a 95 per cent purity and $11,880 cash.

Police also located 0.19g of heroin, 41 tablets of MDMA along with a handwritten tick list.

The now 51-year-old was charged with 219 individual drug supply offences but these were eventually condensed into two counts of supplying commercial quantities of drugs.

Some of the drugs seized in the raid in which Miller was arrested. Picture: NSW Police

He pleaded guilty to the two offences as well as a further three offences, including dealing with the proceeds of crime and supplying drugs, which were placed on a Form 1 certificate to be taken into account when he is sentenced.

Giving evidence at his sentence hearing in Gosford District Court on Friday, Miller said he found himself using “thousands” of dollars worth of heroin and ice daily and fell into dealing as a way to keep up with his veracious addiction.

“I didn’t go out to be a drug dealer, it just happened,” he told the court.

“I was out of control. What (money) I made I used, I didn’t make money, I made drugs.

“I’m ashamed at where my life got to, I understand more than anyone how drugs destroy people’s lives.”

Miller was found with more than $18,000 cash. Picture: NSW Police

Mr Miller said he felt particularly ashamed about a young woman who was “only a part time user” before he met her and within months was helplessly addicted.

An agreed set of facts states Miller supplied 691.75g of ice over the period in 193 transactions, which was about one and a half transactions a day.

Miller sold quantities between 0.2g and on one occasion 28g but the majority of his deals were around 1.75g.

“On the available evidence, the offender received at least $54,630 in payment and supplied to at least 65 different people,” the facts state.

Miller’s barrister James Leaver said his client had been in custody since his arrest, had shown remorse, his offending was “unsophisticated” and was not motivated by financial gain.

Miller was adjourned to face court again on July 22 to receive his sentence.