The advertisement, posted on the American classifieds website Craigslist, was meant to be vague, but not too vague.
Key points:
- An undercover police officer responded to the advertisement Kristiana Karakostas placed on Craigslist offering "White VIP" party tickets
- They arranged to meet at a petrol station, where the 27-year-old auctioneer sold the officer cocaine
- Sentencing Judge Irene Lawson said Karakostas had "made major life changes" and placed her on a community corrections order for the crimes
For sale were tickets to an exclusive event in Melbourne that weekend.
The person peddling the wares, a man named Charlie, would even deliver the "White VIP" party tickets, which could be acquired for the sum of $350.
"Best in Melbourne," promised Charlie. "Sort out your weekend properly."
Unfortunately for Charlie, whose real name is Kristiana Karakostas, the code was cracked by Victoria Police in February 2017.
Shortly after seeing the unconvincing advertisement, a covert police officer arranged to meet Karakostas at a petrol station in Mount Waverley, about 50 metres away from the real estate agency where she worked, to buy cocaine from her.
Karakostas pulled up in a white BMW and after doing the deal, she told the undercover officer that she had better "stuff" coming, which would cost $400.
Forensic analysis later showed she short-changed the officer by 0.1 gram.
Three weeks later, on March 15, police stormed the Woodards Real Estate Agency in Mount Waverley and executed search warrants.
Karakostas, 27, an auctioneer and property consultant who had no prior convictions, was arrested in the office and her handbag was seized.
Inside a makeup bag was about six grams of cocaine, conservatively worth about $2,200, and more than $3,000 in cash.
Police later raided Karakostas's home in Glen Iris where they found 21.5 g of cocaine in her bedroom, about 384 g of the designer drug ethylpentylone, electronic scales and small ziplock bags.
Under her bed was a Crown Casino postcard which indicated the purity of the cocaine.
County Court Judge declares Karakostas has 're-assessed' her values
Between February 2 and March 10, 2017, analysis of Karakostas's phone revealed that she moved 68.5 g of cocaine in dozens of transactions which took place all over Melbourne including at the St Kilda Festival, Crown Promenade, Flinders Lane and the Intercontinental Rialto.
She was charged with trafficking in a drug of dependence and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Today Karakostas was sentenced in Victoria's County Court for her crimes.
But the judgement took place behind closed doors, after Judge Irene Lawson closed the court and directed reporters not to enter.
In an unusual move, the sentence was only made available to reporters after it took place.
Karakostas was allowed to be in her lawyer's office for the sentencing and did not appear personally in court.
Judge Lawson said Karakostas was "intimately involved" in the trafficking of the drugs.
The court heard her dependence on cocaine, which started when she was 24 and was required for daily functioning, began in the midst of a toxic relationship.
But Judge Lawson noted that Karakostas had excellent prospects of rehabilitation.
"You are a person who has made major life changes, you have re-assessed your values and you're now committed to a more law-abiding lifestyle," she said.
Judge Lawson placed Karakostas on a three-year community corrections order and ordered her to do 150 hours of unpaid work.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA2LTEyL2Zvcm1lci1yZWFsLWVzdGF0ZS1hZ2VudC1rcmlzdGlhbmEta2FyYWtvc3Rhcy1zZW50ZW5jZWQtY29jYWluZS8xMjM0NzcxMtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjM0NzcxMg?oc=5
2020-06-12 06:29:46Z
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