A 22-year-old woman who sold “dregs” of drugs to a boy aged just 15 has been spared jail.
Christy Robson was spotted by officers as she passed the Class A drugs out of her car window to the teenager near Banchory.
She received a handful of notes from the boy, who was with a number of other males, in exchange for a small bag of drugs.
A search of her home and car later turned up drugs worth £4,000 and cash totalling £5,438.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said officers watched the drug deal take place in the early hours of July 18 last year in a lay-by at Glassel Hall near Banchory.
“A 15-year-old male was seen to exchange a handful of notes to the accused through the passenger side window in return for a small clear bag,” she said.
“The accused was detained and searched and she was found in possession of £405. One of the males told the police that they had been attempting to buy acid from her.”
What Robson was actually pedalling, though, was “rubbish that’s been smushed together in pills,” the court later heard.
Officers found bags of drugs, cash and drug paraphernalia in her car and a further search of Robson’s then-home on Baker Street in Aberdeen produced more of the same.
“Officers noted that some of the bags found were labelled ‘council’, ‘flake’ and ‘ket’, which they say are recognised terminology for perceived low-quality cocaine, perceived high-quality cocaine and ketamine, respectively.
“The drugs recovered included various quantities of cocaine, ecstasy and Lysrergide (LSD) as well as ketamine.”
But the substances were mostly actually “a number of substances either intentionally or inadvertently mixed together,” the fiscal added.
That meant it was difficult for officers to put an exact value on their worth.
‘A pretty amateurish operation’
Defence agent Iain Hingston described the drugs as “dregs” and that she herself had been duped into selling on “rubbish”.
He also stressed that Robson “didn’t know that the individual was that age”, adding “it’s difficult to tell the age of youngsters these days”.
The solicitor said Robson struggled with drug misuse herself and “it started out small, debts accrued and here we are”.
“Almost none of the drugs were in their original form,” he added. “She was being sold dregs basically. What she was being passed on was rubbish that’s been smushed together in pills.
“It’s a pretty amateurish operation all round.
“In one view she was being taken advantage of that way.
“I wonder if she really had a clue what she was doing as she was clearly being given smush. It would be impossible to value it meaningfully.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said the amount of money recovered suggested Robson’s operation had been a “relatively lucrative one”.
“You were dealing a variety of substances to someone as young as 15. That showed recklessness on your part,” she added.
The sheriff said Robson, who carried a bag of belongings to court with her, “looked prepared for custody” but spared her jail on account of her young age and this being her first court appearance.
Robson, of Friendship Terrace, Aberdeen, was handed a two-year supervision order, a nine-month curfew and ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work.
A confiscation of order for the £5,000 cash haul was continued until next month.
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