Beautician Danika Karotos jailed for trafficking meth and fantasy at Edwardstown

A woman who turned to running an illegal side hustle after her business collapsed was found with $40,000 of meth and fantasy.

A beautician who pivoted to commercial drug dealing was found with methamphetamine, fantasy and a tick list during a raid.

Danika Karotos, 30, turned to an illegal side hustle after her business collapsed because of the Covid pandemic.

The Adelaide District Court last week heard police found 31.11g of mixed methamphetamine, 1.23kg of GHB and $2270 during a raid of an Edwardstown property on August 6, 2020.

The methamphetamine was valued between $8000 and up to $37,000 if sold in points, and the fantasy was valued at up to $3000 if sold in litres.

Police also found digital scales, numerous plastic resealable bags, three mobile phones, a vacuum sealing machine and a CCTV system.

The court heard when the entries on a tick list found in Karotos’ bedroom were tallied up, it revealed up to $25,000 in past sales.

Danika Karotos was jailed for commercial drug trafficking. Picture: Facebook

Karotos pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine and trafficking a commercial amount of fantasy.

The court heard Karotos had worked consistently in the beauty industry from 2009, including running her own salon in Renmark and providing eyelash extensions.

“You had difficulties with paying for commercial rent and you exhausted your savings,” Judge Timothy Heffernan said during sentencing.

“Your counsel submitted that your business actually continued until about 2019 but that it was going downhill and that it eventually ceased as a result of Covid-19.”

The court heard Karotos started using methamphetamine and fantasy recreationally in 2019.

“You started using drugs to relax, as it dulled your senses, especially when you felt stressed and lonely,” Judge Heffernan said.

Judge Heffernan said he did not accept the submission that Karotos was only selling to fund her own use, due to the significant amount of drugs found.

“The tick list establishes a significant level of prior sales well beyond what would be associated with a street-level dealer selling merely to fund their own habit,” he said.

Andrew Moffa, for Karotos, had previously pushed for a suspended sentence, due to Karotos’ family support and lack of criminal history.

However, Judge Heffernan said it was serious offending and the community needed to be protected from drugs.

“You have expressed regret for your involvement in this offending and have said that you made poor choices because of your financial pressures,” he said.

“You told the psychologist that you have stopped using drugs and have distanced yourself from previous peers associated with drugs.”

Judge Heffernan sentenced Karotos to four years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and three months.