Lida Milenkovska, 54, and her daughter, Kristine Krkovska, 19, were arrested in October last year after Lake Illawarra police officers attached to Strike Force Tabingo used telephone intercepts to uncover the pair's drug dealing operation.

Documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court said police monitored the two women between April and June, collecting evidence as the pair made multiple drug sales to a network of loyal customers.

Both women used codewords in a bid to hide their illicit behaviour, however the court heard the terminology was so common among dealers and users that police knew immediately what the pair was up to.

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Some of the terms included "fast", which referred to methamphetamine; "slow", which meant heroin; "pre-made", which was heroin already loaded into a syringe; and "cap", which referred to 0.1g of heroin.

The court heard Milenkovska was recorded selling a total of 10g of heroin on 14 occasions in the three months she was being watched by police.

Both women were remanded in custody after their arrest.

Krkovska pleaded guilty to a charge of ongoing drug supply in court in February and was sentenced to five months jail. With time served, she will be released on parole on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Milenkovska pleaded guilty to three counts of drug supply in court this week.

During a sentencing hearing, defence lawyer Laura Fennell said Milenkovska had an "unusual" family history.

"She and her parents immigrated from former Yugoslavia in 1969 ... her drug use and difficulties with addiction began when she was 16," Ms Fennell said.

"Her entire adult life has been plighted by addiction."

The court heard tragedy struck the family in 1992 when Milenkovska's father, an invalid pensioner, was fatally shot by police at Berkeley during an incident involving a knife.

"She still to this day bears a great deal of guilt, because she believes they knew about [her father] through her," Ms Fennell said.

"Her mother only speaks Macedonian and is in the early stages of dementia. Ms Milenkovska is not an Australian citizen and is liable to be deported after she serves her sentence. She's concerned that if she is deported, her mother will be left alone."

Ms Fennell noted Milenkovska's trafficking was at the lower end of the scale of objective seriousness, describing her as a "foot soldier".

Magistrate Chris McRobert described Milenkovska as a "persistent offender of low-level criminal activity".

"She clearly has a long-standing, well-entrenched drug habit," he said.

"If she doesn't not resolve the problem, she will simply find herself in prison for as long as it takes."

With time served, Milenkovska will be eligible for parole in April 2023.

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