A man who was caught with £50,000 worth of cannabis in a suitcase only started selling the drug after losing his job, a court has heard.
David Newman, 30, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted possessing and supplying tens of thousands of pounds worth of cannabis after police turned up at his house with a search warrant.
Officers found a total of £60,000 of the drug in a suitcase, a holdall and around his home.
His solicitor Christopher Maitland told the court that Newman was aware there might be cannabis in the case but wasn’t sure how much.
He was holding the suitcase after accruing a drug debt, the solicitor said.
Total value of cannabis recovered was £58,380
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard told the court that police executed a search warrant at Newman’s address on Logie Terrace, Aberdeen, on May 13 last year.
“The accused was traced in the rear communal garden and conveyed back inside the property,” she said.
A suitcase containing three vacuum packs of green herbal substance was found, alongside a holdall with six packages containing the same substance.
Two smaller quantities of green herbal substance were found within Newman’s home.
The bags were analysed and found to contain cannabis, with the suitcase containing 3,334 grams of the drug.
The maximum total value of the cannabis in the suitcase was £49,950, while the cannabis in the holdall was estimated at £8,300.
Ms Pritchard said the total value of the cannabis recovered at Newman’s house was £58,380.
Two sets of scales, self-seal bags and a “tick list” were also found.
During a police interview, Newman told officers he owed money to drug dealers and had been told by one of his suppliers to hold the drugs in order to pay off his debt.
Newman pleaded guilty to one charge of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and a further charge of being in the possession of cannabis.
Sheriff gave warning to accused
Defence agent Christopher Maitland told the court that Newman had lost his job and that his continued cannabis use led him into debt.
He said: “Mr Newman didn’t know what was specifically in the suitcase, he suspected it was cannabis but he didn’t know the amount – this was done through the person who supplied cannabis to him.
“This is obviously a large amount of cannabis, so I acknowledge that perhaps a custodial sentence is inevitable.
“But Mr Newman accepts responsibility for this and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”
As an alternative to a custodial sentence, Sheriff Ian Wallace sentenced Newman, of Logie Terrace, Aberdeen, to a community payback order with supervision for 18 months.
He also ordered Newman to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
The sheriff told Newman: “It might be a relief that you are not getting a custodial sentence today, but you now have that hanging over you.
“If you don’t complete this order you will be brought back and could face a prison sentence.”
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