Pubdate: Sun, 04 Apr 2010 Source: Times, The (South Africa) Copyright: 2010 The Times Contact: http://www.thetimes.co.za/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1335 Author: Monica Laganparsad THE LADY WITH THE LEAVES ON HER BUSINESS CARD... The alleged double-life of a pretty suburban mother-turned-dope dealer was exposed in a Durban court this week. Charmaine Bell, a 34-year-old single parent from the "leafy" suburb of Waterfall outside Durban, allegedly ran a thriving dagga business from home until she was raided by police three months ago. In papers before the court it is alleged that the unemployed mother peddled various strains of marijuana and magic mushrooms, and that individual jars of marijuana labelled "Orange Blossom", "Hot Chocolate", "Tootie Fruity", "Indica" and "Mango" lined her kitchen counter. Bell's green business card bears a marijuana leaf logo and uprooted dagga plants were found in her garden. Her alleged activities bear a striking resemblance to those of the lead character - a widowed suburban mother of two boys who turns to selling marijuana to make a living - in the popular M-Net television series Weeds. Bell was raided by police in January, charged with two counts of drug possession and released on bail. This week, the High Court in Durban heard that police confiscated R40000 - allegedly earned in just nine days - during the raid on her home. The money had been locked in a safe. The money is now at the centre of a battle for a preservation order, with police arguing that the cash is the proceeds of crime. The case was adjourned to next month to allow Bell time to find legal counsel. A former customer, whose statement was included in court documents, said he "assumed business was picking up because she (Bell) supplied a wider variety of dagga". He said he first met Bell in 2008 when she lived with her now estranged husband. "All the dagga was displayed in see-through containers with lids. The prices were displayed on the lids - "Tootie Fruity" was R40 a gram . "Swazi" was marked R10 a gram and hashish was R60 a gram," he said. In an affidavit, investigating officer Detective Inspector Karl Sander said Bell kept daily records of her earnings. He said police had uncovered a "quantity of dagga too large for personal consumption" at her home. "The paraphernalia, literature, electronic scale, business cards and hand-written records noting drug transactions suggest that Bell was selling drugs as a business," Sander said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake