A Liverpudlian drug courier who moved cash and drugs totalling £88,000 in order to clear a drugs debt has been jailed
Joseph Chandler had £61,000 of heroin and almost £27,000 in cash hidden within supermarket bags when police searched a car in the Bridge of Don.
The drugs haul was discovered after police observed the 32-year-old carrying out a drug deal on Balgownie Drive on March 6 2020, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said at around 12.20pm police witnessed Chandler’s black BMW being closely followed by a white Fiat Punto.
Both cars were searched for drugs
“Both vehicles halted and the accused was seen to exit the driver’s door of the BMW carrying a blue ‘bag for life’,” she said.
“He entered the front passenger seat of the Fiat Punto. Given recent intelligence, police suspected this was a drug transaction.
“Police officers approached the Fiat Punto and identified themselves.”
After Chandler and the other driver were cautioned and detained a search of the cars was carried out.
Inside the blue bag were three packages of money wrapped in brown tape totalling £26,995. Chandler’s fingerprints were found on two of the packages.
An Iceland shopping bag within the airbag compartment of the dashboard contained six packages with in excess of 1,340g of Diamorphine with a potential street value of £61,120.
Cash and drugs totalled £88,000
Both men were arrested and taken to Kittybrewster Police Station.
He appeared from custody at HMP Grampian in Peterhead and admitted being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Defence agent Michael Horsman said his client was “just doing what he was told” in a bid to reduce a drug debt.
He said: “Mr Chandler had moved to Aberdeen in 2019 and was working as a labourer. Unfortunately, he became involved in drug misuse by way of taking cannabis and moving on to cocaine.
“He ran up a substantial debt to drug dealers and he was told he could reduce that debt by helping those he owed money to.
“He was told to deliver this substantial sum of cash to another person in a car and to hand over the package. He was not aware he was under surveillance from Police Scotland.
‘He was just doing what he was told’
“He was aware it was a drug transaction but he was not aware of the quantity of drugs or cash involved. He was not involved with arranging the transaction in any way. He was just doing what he was told.”
Sheriff Ian Wallace told Chandler: “It may well be that you were lower down the chain in this drug-dealing operation nevertheless it was a high-value drug deal.”
He jailed Chandler, a prisoner of HMP Grampian but normally of Whittlewood Court, Liverpool, for 16 months.
He also approved the confiscation of cash involved totalling £27,080.
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