A former real estate agent turned to selling drugs after he got a business opportunity and his marriage ended.
60-year-old Peter John Yeh’s downfall was compounded after he sold 2 grams of ice to an undercover police officer for $800, the Queenland Supreme Court heard on Wednesday.
The court heard Yeh had worked for estate agents in some of Brisbane’s most expensive suburbs, including Ray White Paddington, Harcourts in Bulimba and LJ Hooker in Coorparoo.
Judge Michael Copley said the father-of-two had a good work record until 2017, when his father-in-law reneged on a deal to give him control of the LJ Hooker Cooparoo business.
After this, Yeh’s marriage to his second wife broke down and his former recreational drug use grew into a full-blown addiction, which he then fueled by selling drugs on the street.
‘It is a tragedy to see a man in his mid-fifties in possession of small amounts of these drugs… who, due to the consequences of his addiction, has decided that the way to solve his problem is to buy and sell drugs as is a business,” Justice said. Copley said.
60-year-old Peter John Yeh’s downfall was compounded after he sold 2 grams of ice to an undercover police officer for $800, the Queenland Supreme Court heard on Wednesday.
Yeh pleaded guilty to trafficking in drug ice and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) between September 3, 2021 and June 23, 2022.
Some of the drug trafficking offenses occurred while he was on parole Courier mail reported.
The court heard Yeh had about 70 clients in inner-city Brisbane and used encrypted messaging app Signal and regular text messages to arrange drug sales and track debts.
A typical deal would sell 3.5 grams of ice for $1,100, while he sold up to 200 ml of GHB in one go.
Prosecutors said they did not have an exact amount he had made from selling the drugs, but that he had collected $174,562 in “unexplained income” while on Jobseeker.
His lawyer Elliot Boddice said Yeh had since beaten his drug addiction.
He said psychologist Peter Stoker confirmed Yeh was suffering from depression and methamphetamine dependence disorder when he sold the drugs.
‘He understood that the father promised to sell him the company (LJ Hooker Coorparoo), that did not happen.’ he said.
He then went to work for Harcourts in Bulimba and fighting with his wife increased, leading to the collapse of the marriage, he said.
The court heard Yeh had worked for estate agents in some of Brisbane’s most expensive suburbs, including Ray White Paddington, Harcourts in Bulimba and LJ Hooker in Coorparoo
“He previously used drugs recreationally, and starting in 2017, following that personal stress, his drug use spiraled out of control.”
Yeh pleaded guilty to several drug charges, including trafficking, two counts of supply and possession of 1-4-butanediol, a precursor to GHB.
He was sentenced to four years in prison for human trafficking and received an additional month for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Judge Copley said the 505 days he had already served would count towards his sentence and he would be eligible for parole from Wednesday.
