Rachel Butcher (Image: South Wales Police)
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A Cardiff woman has been told to hand over a single pound after a proceeds of crime hearing – even though her drug dealing earned her close to £50,000.
Rachel Butcher, 45, of Malmsmead Road, Llanrumney, was caught out in spectacular fashion when she fired off a mass text promoting cocaine sales – not realising a police officer’s number was among the 76 contacts on her list.
How she was caught
Butcher had been operating under the street name ‘Red’, an alias already on the radar of officers. On March 10 last year, she blasted out a message to her customer base letting them know she had cocaine available and was willing to bring it to their door. The phone she used had previously been in contact with police, meaning an officer received the message directly.
The investigati
Officers obtained a search warrant for a property in Barry, where they recovered several electronic devices including a Nokia handset. That phone turned out to be the so-called ‘Red drugs line’, which had been running for roughly two months between May 5 and July 2, 2024. Throughout that window, regular mass messages went out touting cocaine for sale. Investigators also examined Butcher’s personal mobile and found references to crack cocaine deals.
Denial turned guilty plea
When officers arrested her, Butcher insisted she had nothing to do with selling drugs. She eventually changed course and admitted being concerned in the supply of class A substances. Her criminal record lists 21 previous offences, among them several for possessing drugs, though she had never before been convicted of trafficking.
A life derailed
The court heard Butcher’s circumstances had been deeply troubled. Her husband’s death from cancer in 2018 sent her into a downward spiral, compounded by further family trauma. She turned to class A drugs to cope, and the court was told her vulnerability had been exploited.
Passing sentence, Judge Lucy Crowther said: “Your life has been completely blighted by the use of drugs.”
Butcher received 30 months in prison, with credit given for time already spent on remand under curfew.
Ordered to pay £1
At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, the court heard Butcher’s offending had generated £49,452 in total. However, she has nothing to her name. Judge Paul Hobson ordered her to pay a token £1 or face an extra six months behind bars.
