Taneille Elise Moore sentenced in Supreme Court for trafficking cannabis and ecstasy

A Central Queensland drug dealer used Snapchat and Facebook to service customers, frequently advertising ‘Cheap Tuesdays’ and ‘Wheezy Wednesdays’. But her nine-month business came crashing down.

A Central Queensland woman who lost her job during the Covid-19 pandemic, turned to trafficking cannabis and ecstasy via Snapchat and Facebook.

She got away with it for nine months before her illegal business came crashing down.

Taneille Elise Moore, 26, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court at Rockhampton on September 14 to six drug-related charges, the most serious being trafficking, and possessing dangerous drugs in excess of 2g.

The court heard Moore trafficked cannabis between September 2020 and June 2021.

It was told that 16 days before being busted by police, Moore had diversified her business to include the trafficking of MDMA (ecstasy).

The Crown said the exact number of cannabis supplies was unknown due to Moore using the instant messaging app Snapchat to service customers.

It said in total, Moore sold 98 MDMA tablets, making a profit of $3720.

When police busted Moore on June 27, 2021, they found 14 MDMA tablets with 13.491g of substance, and 352g of cannabis, the Crown said.

The court was told that during the search, police also found “a large amount of drug paraphernalia”.

Justice Graeme Crow went into more detail about Moore’s trafficking business, saying she sold in “street level” quantities.

Taneille Elise Moore leaves Rockhampton Courthouse on September 14, 2022.

Justice Crow said as part of the business, Moore “advertised” and took “up-front” payments from customers.

“You were not a sophisticated trafficker, you utilised social media including selling to a small number of regular customers through text or Facebook messages - things which are very easily detectable, ” Justice Crow said.

Justice Crow said Moore’s business grew and from May, 2021, she moved to Snapchat.

“You granted 243 of your Snapchat friends access to reading your private story,” he said.

“Your private story was named ‘plants and pills’.

“And you would post advertisements to these 243 friends.

“The advertisements were pictures of your produce, price lists.

“You would frequently add slogans such as ‘Cheap Tuesdays’ and ‘Wheezy Wednesdays’ in an effort to market your business.”

Justice Crow further detailed how Moore encouraged those people messaging her to buy drugs using “sales speak”.

“And you encouraged other customers to get further customers to come to you.”

The court heard that Moore’s prices fluctuated with 1g-1.5g of cannabis being sold for $20, and one tablet of MDMA being sold for between $35 and $40.

Taneille Elise Moore leaves Rockhampton Courthouse on September 14, 2022.

It was told that Moore originally purchased cannabis from a supplier in “smallish amounts” of two or three ounces at a time.

But around the time that Moore moved to the Snapchat platform, and up until her arrest, she was purchasing “much larger quantities” of cannabis - about 16 ounces every four days.

The court heard Moore purchased MDMA pills on two occasions, and on the third and final occasion she increased the number of pills she bought.

Moore was busted at 3am on June 27, 2021, when police intercepted her in a vehicle on Bolsover Street, Rockhampton.

During a search, police found Moore’s mobile phone, five clip-seal bags containing purple MDMA tablets, bags of cannabis, jars of cannabis, a wallet containing $2585 cash, a second wallet with $1525 cash in it, numerous empty clip-seal bags, digital scales, two grinders, lighters, rolling papers, cigarette papers and a bong.

The court heard that at the scene, Moore was forthcoming with police and claimed ownership of the drugs and other items.

It was told that Moore “thoroughly explained” to police her business model, methods, costs, and reasons for getting into business.

Justice Crow noted that Moore had no prior drug convictions on her history which included a wilful damage offence and two fraud offences - all in 2018.

The Crown’s submission was for a head sentence of four years’ jail and that Moore be liable to serve “a short period” in custody.

It said Moore could be given the benefit of a parole release date less than the customary one-third mark to reflect the mitigating factors.

“The Crown submit (Moore) is a person who would benefit from the supervision of parole, given her previous drug use and her drug offending.”

Moore’s counsel submitted a wholly suspended sentence was appropriate as Moore was now employed at Ensham Mine, working a “seven-on, seven-off” roster where she is subject to random drug and alcohol testing.

Counsel tendered three references for Moore, including one from the Ensham village manager, and said she was supported in court by her mother, father, partner, aunts and other friends.

Counsel said Moore had supplied her phone to police despite there being no search warrant requiring her to do so, and that co-operation with authorities “was significant”.

Justice Crow sentenced Moore to three years’ jail with immediate release on parole.

“I have immediately released you on parole today because you are essentially a first-time offender,” he said.

“Because of your extreme co-operation and immediate admissions showing real remorse.”

Justice Crow said he considered Moore’s prospects of rehabilitation and staying away from drugs as “excellent”.

“So you’ll be given a chance Miss Moore, on this occasion.

“If you’re in my court again, and you’re involved in these sorts of offending, there’ll be no prospect of this sort of sentence.”

Moore is now subject to a parole order which has conditions.

Taneille Elise Moore’s background, as submitted by her counsel

Moore was born in Rockhampton, one of three children. Her parents separated when she was young.

She had a good upbringing.

She continues to enjoy the support of her family.

Moore graduated from Year 12 at Rockhampton High School and commenced employment.

She was employed until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic when, like many others, she lost her job.

When she lost that job, she started to use cannabis and that use became “quite heavy”.

Moore couldn’t find employment and she started selling cannabis to support her habit, expanding to MDMA at the very end.

The expansion into MDMA was how Moore planned to pay for a holiday for her and her partner, the court heard.

After Moore’s arrest, she stopped using cannabis.

She immediately obtained employment with a local cafe and more recently secured full-time shift work at Ensham Mine.

This employment, as with all mine work, requires employees to undergo random drug and alcohol testing.

Moore has not failed that testing to date.

In the reference tendered to the court from the Ensham village manager, he spoke “very highly” of Moore.

Justice Crow noted that was “very important in the sentencing discretion”.

The manager said Moore was “a team leader” who had “not missed a day”.

Originally published as Taneille Elise Moore sentenced in Supreme Court for trafficking cannabis and ecstasy