A tent-dwelling drug dealer who offered LSD for sale on Facebook, under his own name, claimed the hallucinogenic drug could “stop retardation”.

James Daniel McRobbie, 45, of Queenstown, was among more than a dozen people arrested after a police investigation into a French-themed Facebook drug-dealing page.

Although most people offering drugs on the page used bogus profile names, McRobbie used his own profile to offer to supply LSD and cannabis on multiple occasions in September and October last year.

He used drug slang such as “Lucy” for LSD and “Marie” or “Mary” for cannabis, and in the case of the latter drug, specified whether the plants had been grown indoors or outside.

One post claimed: “Studies show that Lucy increases neuroplasticity — stop retardation now and get some”.

Another said: “Don’t forget your breakfast, nice outdoor Marie in Queenstown ... "

McRobbie’s drug-dealing career was interrupted on January 18 when police searched his address — a tent and two vehicles at the 12 Mile Delta campground about 12km from the resort town’s CBD.

They found 157g of cannabis plant in self-sealing bags and $860 cash.

McRobbie claimed his efforts to sell the drug had been unsuccessful, and buyers had never shown up for arranged sales.

The cannabis found inside his tent was for personal use, and the cash was savings, he said.

However, he admitted charges of offering to sell cannabis from June 17 to November 28; offering to supply LSD from September 16 to October 3; and possessing cannabis for supply from October 1 to October 10.

At McRobbie’s sentencing in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, counsel Hugo Young said the offending was due to the defendant’s long-standing drug addiction and his need to finance it.

He had no previous convictions, and since his arrest had found work as a painter.

He had been living in a tent for at least 10 months, but hoped to move into a house truck soon.

Young agreed with a pre-sentence report that recommended the defendant receive a sentence of supervision to enable intervention.

Judge Russell Walker sentenced McRobbie to 100 hours’ community work and 15 months’ intensive supervision.

He made an order for the forfeiture of the cash.

- Guy Williams, ODT