In terms of sentencing and bust structure, yes. Pursuing dealers is more effective (and cheaper) than pursuing users. But I stand by the point of the metaphor,

In terms of sentencing and bust structure, yes. Pursuing dealers is more effective (and cheaper) than pursuing users. But I stand by the point of the metaphor, which is that we criminalize distribution because of use. If you couldn't use it, it wouldn't be illegal. So even when flipping users, the intent is to run stings without letting the primary 'event' of drug use happen. That seems like the key difference between drug stings and this sting.