Drug dealer avoids prison after poisoning baby threat
Photo: ODT files
A Dunedin drug dealer has avoided prison after threatening to poison his baby's bottle.
Bo Teraki, 34, appeared in the Dunedin District Court this week and was sentenced to home detention for possessing cannabis for supply, supplying cannabis, speaking threateningly and resisting police.
The court heard that on November 21 police executed a search warrant at the defendant's home and found 827g of cannabis, a tick list in a notebook, $860 cash and small ziplock bags.
The cannabis had a street value of at least $10,000.
In September 2023, the court also heard the defendant threatened his infant child after it woke up crying.
He said: "shut the f... up", "do what you're told", "you're no better than your mother", "I'll knock you out" and "you're lucky I don't poison your bottle".
Counsel Liam Collins said his client was dealing cannabis simply to help with money for rent payments and food.
"This was not a highly successful commercial operation for significant financial gain, he certainly wasn't Walter White," Mr Collins said.
He said Teraki was between jobs at the time and had been in and out of custody.
Judge Emma Smith said the defendant had a "significant amount" of cannabis and called the offending "a little bit cynical" given he was sentenced for similar offending in 2022.
She said the threats toward his baby were "extraordinary".
She thought a "lack of consequential thinking and impulsivity", and addiction issues and instability caused him to offend.
She sentenced him to 10 months' home detention.
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