“the bar to actually go to prison is pretty high”
Part of the problem is that the law is not enforced. I agree. I think he should have been arrested and sent to prison.
“Dealers like it when other dealers get busted”
Don’t just arrest other dealers, arrest all dealers. If you increase the probability that they will be arrested, all their assets will be seized and thay will face a long prison term it will help.
Arrest them. Take their drugs. Take their money.
In order to arrest them first you have to catch them. Black market economies are hard to bust up. When there’s a demand and a supply there will always be sellers.