Young Derbyshire mum sold drugs to pay off her debt to dealers, court hears

Chloe Baxter, 26, was 23 when she was found in a property along with others with drug paraphernalia including crack pipes, scales and dealer bags.

Derby Crown Court heard how police extracted some 67 messages from her iPhone, showing she her debt had grown to over £2,000.

However Prosecutor Sarah Slater described how evidence of “commercial selling” of crack, cocaine and heroin was also found.

Investigating officers deemed Slater a “low-level” dealer, sending out “mass marketing” texts advertising the product.

However, the court heard Buxton mum-of-one Baxter, who had no previous convictions was not dealing “out of choice”.

Her barrister told how Baxter began to “spiral” during a custody dispute involving her son – graduating from smoking cannabis to using cocaine and crack cocaine.

She said: “She accrued a debt as a result of her use and became involved on the supply of the drugs herself.”

The court heard the offences were now over two years old and Baxter had since stopped taking drugs completely and been promoted to night manager in her job at a care home.

Judge Jonathan Straw, suspending a 21-month jail term for a year, told her: “You have demonstrated this was a blip that has now passed you can work industriously and have a strong work ethic.

"You have also conquered your drug addiction – you were doing this not necessarily out of choice and prior to this you have never been in trouble before."

Baxter, of Stone Cliff Terrace, Buxton, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.

She was handed 120 hours of unpaid work.