Danny Robert Charlie Brown: Nerang man jailed for Surfers Paradise meth bust

When cops approached this Nerang parolee outside a Surfers Paradise hotel, he knew the game was up – his desperate act only delayed the inevitable. Here’s what happened in court.

Nerang man Danny Robert Charlie Brown, 35. Picture: Facebook

A Gold Coast criminal who has been before the courts no fewer than 23 times has been ordered to serve further jail time after being found in possession of more than an ounce of methamphetamine outside a Surfers Paradise hotel.

Nerang man Danny Robert Charlie Brown, 35, appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court late last year where he pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a dangerous drug, methamphetamine, in excess of 2g.

According to Justice Catherine Muir’s sentencing remarks, which were only published on Wednesday March 12, Brown’s offending occurred in December 2023 outside a Surfers Paradise hotel.

The court heard Brown, who was on parole and subject to four suspended sentences at the time, was approached by police as he sat on a bench outside the hotel.

Supreme Court of Queensland Justice Catherine Muir. Picture: Supplied

In response to their unwanted attention, he flung a black case onto a glass awning, which was retrieved by police and found to contain about 22g methamphetamine within about 29.5g of substance, a purity of approximately 74 per cent.

The case also contained various drug paraphernalia such as a large quantity of clipseal bags and a glass smoking pipe.

Brown was remanded in custody and ordered to serve a pre-existing sentence that expires in May 2025.

It was ultimately ruled that the meth was for a mixed commercial-personal purpose, in that some was to be sold and some was to be consumed. Brown was dependent on the substance at the time of the offending.

The Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, home to the Brisbane District and Supreme courts. Picture: David Clark

The court was told Brown had an appalling criminal history, which had led to 23 separate sentences being imposed by a variety of courts.

“It seems that your criminal activity has escalated in recent years, as you went from personal drug use to dishonesty offences to more serious offences involving violence and commercial drug offending,” Justice Muir said.

Regarding his future prospects of rehabilitation, there were reasons to hope the defendant had finally turned a corner in his life.

“It seems that you have wanted to engage actively to overcome a number of the issues that have plagued your life,” Justice Muir said, also citing with approval the presence in court of Brown’s family.

Justice Muir sentenced Brown to three years’ imprisonment, with immediate parole eligibility.

Originally published as Danny Robert Charlie Brown: Nerang man jailed for Surfers Paradise meth bust