A drug dealer who stashed cocaine worth more than £18,500 in his car after he ran into debt during lockdown has been jailed.
Graeme Sleigh was described as acting as a “soldier” for someone much higher up the drug dealing ladder in Aberdeen.
The failed oil worker had multiple bags of Class A drug cocaine stashed inside socks and hidden in shoeboxes and compartments.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how the 42-year-old had turned to drugs during lockdown following the break up of his relationship and his failure to launch a career in the oil industry.
Police raided his flat
He was caught with the drugs, plus almost £9,000 in cash, after police carried out an intelligence-led drugs raid on his home on August 21, 2020.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson said Sleigh was in his living room when police burst through the door and searched his flat.
Officers initially found cocaine and around £500 hidden in his bedroom drawers.
“Keys for three cars were also found, two of which were parked in the communal car park,” she added.
“The accused would not disclose the location of the third car and when he was told a search of nearby streets would be carried out, his demeanour changed and he appeared nervous.”
And rightly so, because that car, found parked two streets away, was full of cocaine bundles hidden in the glove box, boot and side doors.
“The registered driver of that car was spoken to and he advised police they previously had joint use of the car but he couldn’t afford it and handed it over seven years ago,” the fiscal added. “The accused was the named insured driver.”
The boot contained a shoebox containing cocaine, scales and cellophane bags. While the glovebox and door pocket each contained three socks stuffed with bundled up cocaine.
Cash totalling £8,865 was also found in Sleigh’s car and house.
His DNA was found on the knots of the packets but not on the cash.
Serving as a ‘soldier’ for another
His defence agent Gregor Kelly said Sleigh had “dabbled” in drugs as a young man but was now effectively a “soldier” dealing drugs for someone else following a series of unfortunate events in his life.
“He lost a well-paid job,” Mr Kelly said. “He was feeling very stressed and his position was compounded when his girlfriend ended their relationship and he was left paying bills alone.”
This debt was further deepened after Sleigh paid for, but failed, his offshore underwater survival course, at a cost of more than £3,000 in a bid to begin work offshore.
“His brother had a stellar career offshore, but he died suddenly from a heart condition in 2007,” Mr Kelly added.
“Mr Sleigh’s ambition was to emulate his brother and his career.
“He found himself sitting at home knowing he couldn’t go offshore. His mental health was not good.”
Mr Kelly said Sleigh was caring for his family members and had been “roped into” keeping the drugs in a car for someone after his own cocaine use landed him in debt to his suppliers.
Mr Kelly added: “He was surprised to learn the amount of drugs and the value of the cash.
‘Deeply ashamed’
“He stashed the drugs. He didn’t receive money for the enterprise but did receive some of the drugs.
“He had been asked to stash. He told me he had handled the drugs and put them in the car but he was very much a soldier for someone considerably higher up the line.”
He added Sleigh was “deeply ashamed” of himself and well aware of the “misery” drug addiction can result in.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said she could not deal with the matter in any other way but a custodial sentence.
She jailed Sleigh, of Urquhart Road, for 18 months, telling him it would have been two years were it not for his guilty plea.
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