Juanita Joy Smith faces Bundaberg Supreme Court for drug trafficking

Being on bail and probation wasn’t enough to stop a former childcare worker from continuing her drug trafficking business, even after having her home raided. Here’s what unfolded.

She was on probation and bail but it wasn’t enough to stop a former childcare worker from continuing her drug trafficking trade after already being caught.

For about six months between September 2020 and March 2021, Juanita Joy Smith ran a drug business selling ice to a customer base of about 38 people to fuel her own habit.

Smith, 48, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Supreme Court on Tuesday to drug trafficking, supplying and a number of other drug related offences.

Crown Prosecutor Caroline Marco told the court Smith would purchase her drugs from her daughter’s partner before onselling them to her own customer base.

Ms Marco told the court Smith would purchase ice from him almost every day and at one point, had a debt of about $14,000.

Smith sold the drugs to her customers in quantities between 0.1g and 3.5g and would make multiple sales a day.

Police raided Smith’s Bundaberg home in January where they found ice, LSD, scales and cash.

Ms Marco said Smith’s home was searched again in March after she was sentenced in Bundaberg Supreme Court for another matter and marijuana was found.

During the March raid, Smith’s phone was seized and analysed and she declined to be interviewed, after being verbally abusive towards police.

The phone contained messages relating to her drug trafficking.

Ms Marco said police analysed the phone of another man they were searching which revealed messages from Smith where she had supplied the man drugs on a number of occasions between May 15 and June 22.

The NewsMail can reveal that just days earlier, on May 10, Smith had received $800 from a local radio station after being nominated for one of their initiatives aimed at helping people in need.

The money was not referenced in the court case but was publicised at the time as pictured.

Juanita Joy Smith pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Supreme Court to drug trafficking. She is pictured here with a donation from a local radio station.

Smith, who was on probation on bail at the time, was arrested on June 29 at her Bundaberg home and was taken into custody where she remained on remand until sentencing.

Ms Marco told the court Smith had a 21 year gap in her criminal history from 1999 until 2020.

Smith’s barrister Nick Larter told the court his client turned back to drugs in 2019 after an incident involving one of her children caused her distress.

He said Smith found her time in custody “difficult” as she had some mobility issues relating to pain in her lower legs.

He also said Smith didn’t make any profit from the trafficking and described it as “street level” to fund her own habit.

Smith was sentenced to a total of five years in jail and will be eligible for parole in April, 2023 after serving 22 months.

168 days of presentence custody was declared as time already served and a serious drug offence certificate was issued.