A HAMILTON woman found with more than half a kilogram of cannabis has been convicted of drug trafficking last week.

Bonnie Petterson, 30, of Mt Baimbridge Road, pleaded guilty to trafficking cannabis, possessing cannabis and possessing a prescription drug in the Hamilton Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

She was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order with a requirement she complete 75 hours of unpaid community work.

Police prosecutor sergeant, Sandra Skilton said Petterson first came to police attention after officers executed an unrelated stolen goods search warrant at a property in Hamilton on June 17 last year.

A forensic analysis of a phone seized at that property contained at least two message chains from early June where the phone’s owner organised to buy cannabis from Petterson.

The messages led police to executing a search warrant at Petterson’s home on September 15.

Sgt Skilton said during the search, police seized 612 grams of cannabis and 12 five-milligram Valium tablets for which Petterson did not have a prescription.

The cannabis was estimated to have a value “in the thousands of dollars”, Sgt Skilton said.

She said police found 452 grams of cannabis divided into four zip lock bags in a bedroom, 114 grams in a shopping bag in a kitchen cupboard and another 46 grams in a shopping bag under the kitchen sink.

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