Budz in Dudz: Woman sold drugs over social media

Tamra Smith advertised her "skunk fids". Photo / File

A Dunedin woman used social media app Snapchat to run a mobile drug-dealing operation around Dunedin, a court has heard.

Tamra April Smith (28) operated a profile — known as "budzindudz 2.0" — on the platform, through which she would advertise the illicit substances she had for sale.

Buyers would contact her, a meeting time and place was agreed and the transaction would take place.

Simple.

But being a public site, it was not long before police became aware of budzindudz and the criminal enterprise.

"The police are on social media networks. The police can catch you out and in your case did catch you out," Judge Michael Crosbie said.

Tamra April Smith. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Smith appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to supplying LSD, offering to supply it, as well as offering to supply ecstasy and cannabis.

On the evening of July 25 last year, the woman posted that she would be out and about selling "gram at $250, skunk fids and $30 LSD jubes".

The "gram" referred to class-B ecstasy, "skunk fids" to a $50 bag of cannabis and the "LSD jubes" to lollies containing the class-A drug LSD.

Phone records showed Smith was contacted by another Snapchat user looking for cannabis but she said her supply was dry.

They agreed instead to buy LSD.

Later, an undercover police officer who called himself "Lee" made a similar request.

He arranged to meet Smith outside a local restaurant just a few kilometres from the woman's Tomahawk home.

The defendant arrived alone and sold the jubes for $90.

"What I'm concerned about in your case ... you were willing to sell to anyone in order to meet your ends," the judge said.

The single mother, who said she had been forced into the dealing by another party, had previous convictions for cannabis but Judge Crosbie said they were not as serious as the present case.

Once drugs were sold by dealers he said, they could end up in the hands of vulnerable people, including children.

"You're a mother, so it shouldn't be lost on you," he said.

"If you think that's far-fetched, wake up and read about what's going on in our country."

While Smith's proposed address was suitable for her to serve home detention, the location did not allow GPS monitoring.

Defence counsel John Westgate said that meant his client would not be able to work or even leave the property to do grocery shopping.

Others would have to assist her, he said.

Judge Crosbie sentenced Smith to nine months' home detention.

While he accepted it would be arduous under those conditions, it was "a better alternative than going to prison".