‘Scammed’ smoker potted by call to police

A cannabis smoker was so angry her alleged drug dealer failed to deliver that she called police.

But the long arm of the law could yet catch up with both the dissatisfied customer and supplier, with police saying that even though no pot changed hands, it’s still illegal to try to buy it.

Hamilton woman Betty Tamihana claims she paid $40 for what a dealer claimed was an ounce of marijuana. He was selling it for $60 – a fraction of the usual price.

But like most deals that seem too good to be true, Tamihana never saw the weed or her money back so she complained to police and on a Facebook page that boasts 40,000 members.

The bizarre case highlights how large numbers of people are now buying and selling drugs via social media, increasingly requiring police to monitor them. But, in this case, the user came straight to them.

Tamihana said the drama unfolded when she approached a man she had purchased from before, to buy cannabis a second time. ‘‘I was looking for some weed and I posted to see if anybody did drop-offs and he popped up and he said that he could.

‘‘I gave him $40 and he didn’t come back. I rang and I messaged him and he turned everything off. I couldn’t get a hold of him,’’ she said. ‘‘I automatically feared the worst, that I wasn’t going to get my money back or, more importantly, my weed.’’

Tamihana then went to police, who asked her to record all correspondence.

She believed she couldn’t be charged because she didn’t receive her drugs, but Senior Sergeant Rupert Friend begs to differ.

‘‘Yes, there is a charge of attempting to procure a drug, so just because you don’t get it doesn’t actually prevent you from being charged,’’ he said.

‘‘If you were to come and ask me for a tinnie of marijuana and I give you a tinnie of lawn clippings, you’ve still committed an offence, even though you haven’t got drugs in your posession.’’

Friend would not confirm whether police would act on the matter, but said complaints to police of drug deals going bad were rare.

Meanwhile, Tamihana’s spat with her alleged dealer continues, with him demanding an apology for her online comments before he gives the money back. He said he considered her money a loan.

Tamihana, however, has vowed to never to buy weed off Facebook again.