Ex-elite schoolboy meth dealer: Cain Quah first to be jailed under new drug trafficking sentencing laws

A former Melbourne Grammar schoolboy was busted at his Southbank apartment with almost 3kg of meth, weapons and almost $90,000 in cash. He denied he was a drug trafficker, but he’s become the first person jailed under tough new sentencing laws.

Cain Quah, 31, was sentenced to a maximum of 16 years and seven months for dealing meth. Source: LinkedIn.

A former Melbourne elite private-school student caught with almost 3kg of meth is the first dealer to be jailed under tough new drug trafficking laws.

Cain Quah, 31, was sentenced in the County Court on July 26 to a minimum of 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to trafficking the huge quantity of meth, as well as to weapons and drug possession charges.

Quah fell foul of a new law, which came into effect on February 1, 2018, mandating 16 years — with the minimum to be 60 per cent of the total sentence — for trafficking a large commercial amount of drugs.

Quah was busted by police at his Southbank apartment with almost 3kg of “high purity” meth on January 2, 2019.

Police also found an unregistered handgun with the serial number scraped off, 20 hollow point bullets, butterfly knives, knuckle dusters and almost $90,000 in cash scattered around Quah’s apartment.

The former Melbourne Grammar and Melbourne High student denied he was a drug trafficker, telling police he was a “money lender” who was given the meth in lieu of a $30,000 loan.

He also told police he was a martial arts weapons collector and the gun was part of his collection.

Judge Felicity Hampel described Quah’s assertions as “patently false”.

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“(The items found by police are) all too common trappings of a trafficking enterprise …

“There is nothing to suggest you were engaged in a one-off day operation.”

She said Quah trafficked to fund his own drug addiction but to prove he could be a “financial success”.

“Trafficking methamphetamine for profit is insidious,” Justice Hampel said.

“Meth causes misery, misery you saw through your partner’s habit.”

Quah, who has priors for affray, weapons and drug possession, was up on his first trafficking charge.

Justice Hampel said it was “disturbing” someone who had “privileged opportunity and intelligence” had such a criminal record.

Quah, who spent time in the Singapore army and studied at RMIT, had spent 205 days in custody at the time of sentencing.

Quah’s family wept in court as Justice Hampel sentenced him.

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