A heroin and cocaine dealer has claimed she was forced into the drug trade by people who threatened to shoot her immediate family.
Lisa Duff, 36, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to two charges of dealing Class A drugs from her home – but said she had only done it after threats to kill her family.
Duff was found in possession of nearly £900 worth of heroin and cocaine on November 16 last year.
She admitted one charge of supplying heroin and another of supplying cocaine while on bail.
Police were tipped off that accused was dealing drugs from home
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that police were led to Duff’s ground floor flat after receiving intelligence that she was dealing drugs.
A search warrant was executed with cops finding “a quantity of controlled drugs” in her possession.
One bag of heroin with an estimated street value of £500 was recovered, alongside four individual bags of heroin worth around £80.
A block of cocaine, valued at £230 if dealt into gram deals, was also found along with four individual wraps of the drug worth £40 were also discovered.
Ms Simpson added: “A mobile phone recovered from the accused was examined and found to contain messages that demonstrate that the accused had been involved in supplying both heroin and cocaine since August 19 2020.”
Dealer claims she was forced to sell drugs or family would be harmed
Defence agent Alex Burn told the court that she had taken to selling the drugs because she “feared for the safety” of her family.
He said: “She was approached by a number of individuals who threatened to harm her family unless she started selling drugs.
“They told her they were going to go to her brother’s address and shoot him.”
Mr Burn added that his client had become hooked on heroin “to get through” a previous stint in prison but was now currently off the drug.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told the 36-year-old that she had considered background reports prepared by the social work department and her previous convictions, but she was unable to hand down “anything other than a custodial sentence”.
She sentenced Duff, of Waulkmill Crescent, Aberdeen, to 97 days in prison.
An emotional Duff shouted “no, they’ll kill me” as her sentence was handed down.
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