A prominent community member in Western Australia’s north has appeared in court charged with selling tens of thousands of dollars worth of alcohol in dry communities in the Kimberley.
Cyril Mark Yeeda appeared in Halls Creek Magistrates Court today and pleaded not guilty to one count of the charge “received, possessed, concealed, disposed of or dealt with any money or other property that is the proceeds of an offence”.
Police allege the 44-year-old profited from illegally selling about $45,000 worth of alcohol to residents of Halls Creek and surrounding dry communities, nearly 3,000 kilometres north-east of Perth, between October 2024 and July 2025.
They allege Mr Yeeda bought more than 450 cartons of beer, 40 bottles of champagne and 115 bottles of rum in Darwin, with a total value of approximately $45,000.
They also allege he received over 450 electronic bank transfers totalling $140,000, and more than $30,000 in cash deposits.
Halls Creek has strict rules around the sale of takeaway liquor. (ABC News: Andrew Seabourne)
The practice of selling alcohol in dry communities is commonly known as sly grogging.
Significant alcohol restrictions are in place in the Kimberley, in an effort to reduce alcohol-related harm and offences.
Kimberley Police Superintendent John Hutchison said sly grogging “exploited vulnerable communities and fuels harm”.
Prominent community member
Mr Yeeda is a former stockman who has previously featured in a promotional video for Australia’s North West, showing his work at Home Valley Station.
He received a national award as a disability support worker in 2019 for supporting a man with autism in the remote community of Bililuna, south of Halls Creek.
Far North Community Services, for which he was working at the time, congratulated him for winning the Excellence in Regional Support Award at the WA Disability Support Awards, saying the organisation was proud of him and thankful for the “terrific work” he did.
Cyril Yeeda has been charged with profiting from selling alcohol at inflated prices in remote Kimberley communities. (Supplied: Facebook)
In an interview with the Kimberley Echo at the time, Mr Yeeda said he had some troubles with alcohol himself and wanted to “get young Aboriginal people on their feet and looking after themselves”.
In an interview with the ABC in 2013, Mr Yeeda said he had a troubled youth, spending his nights on the streets.
He said drinking caused him “a hell of a problem”.
Mr Yeeda said he had managed to turn his life around.
“You’ve got to have someone strong in the community here, taking the young kids’ attention,” he said.
 “Alcohol and smoking and all those things … it’s bad.”
Cyril Yeeda appeared in Halls Creek’s Magistrates Court. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O’Connor)
Mr Yeeda was granted bail and is due to reappear in court next month.Â