Seunghwan Byun: UNSW student, Daniel, slammed for cocaine dealing
A university student from a ‘good family’ has received a thorough dressing down in court after pleading guilty to dealing drugs to help with ‘financial pressures’.
Wentworth Courier
Don't miss out on the headlines from Wentworth Courier. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Randwick Council lines busy street with ‘No Cruise Ships’ banners
- Bondi cafe owner on trial for 500kg cocaine plot
A university student caught selling cocaine in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been scolded by a magistrate for going “straight to the top in engaging in criminal conduct”.
Seunghwan Byun, 19, also known as Daniel, was caught with almost 3g of cocaine and $2350 in cash when police pulled him over in a Kia Rio along Bondi Rd, Bondi on the night of November 9.
Police followed the Erskine Park man after they saw a woman get out of his car at an intersection.
The UNSW student initially told police he was just “going for a drive around” but soon conceded he was carrying illicit drugs in his pocket and laptop bag.
Mr Byun, who had no previous criminal history, was sentenced at Waverley Local Court last week and was scolded by Magistrate Allison Hawkins.
“You have really gone straight to the top in engaging in criminal conduct of the highest order,” she said.
“The message needs to get out to people in the community that drug dealing is not on. It is a serious offence and not acceptable and it does result in prison sentences.”
She convicted him and sentenced him to a term of imprisonment of nine months to be served by way of intensive correction in the community.
Mr Byun’s defence said the young man initially declined to be a driver for his drug dealing friend but later became involved in selling cocaine himself because of “financial pressures”.
His defence said he was enrolled at UNSW and turned to selling cocaine for financial reward rather than to fuel a drug habit.
Mr Byun’s defence also said he had a good future ahead of him and he spent a lot of time studying, was involved in a local church, worked part-time in a pharmacy, and came from a good family – with his parents supporting him in court.
The agreed facts stated that when police searched him and his vehicle they found three small bags of cocaine as well as thousands of dollars in $50 and $20 notes.
He was sentenced for one charge of supply a prohibited drug. A second charge of deal with proceeds of crime was taken into consideration under a Form One.