A man who wanted bail so he could prepare his daughter for life without him has been jailed for smuggling £300,000 of cocaine.
Bryan Collum, 34, was arrested after police found him transporting large amounts of the drug between Airdrie, Lanarkshire, and the north of Scotland.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how officers stopped Collum when he was driving a white Seat Leon on the A95 road in Drumuillie, close to Inverness on July 21 2022.
They found cocaine in the vehicle, which specialist drugs squad officers reckoned had a maximum street value of £300,000 and he was taken into custody.
Defence advocate Kenneth Cloggie made a successful submission for Collum to have his bail continued after he pleaded guilty last month to supplying cannabis and cocaine.
Mr Cloggie said that bail would help Collum, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, prepare his child for the time his client would be in prison.
The counsel added: “His daughter has been told that her father’s going to go to the High Court and in time he’s not going to come back.
“It is for that reason that Mr Collum asks for his bail to be continued. It will give him and his wife all the opportunities they need so they can prepare their daughter.”
The sentencing of Collum was deferred for the court to obtain reports on his background.
On Monday, Collum returned to court and judge Lord Weir handed him a 44-month-long jail term.
Police found three bags of cocaine
Passing sentence, Lord Weir said that the sentence reflected the role that Collum played in the drugs trade.
“I proceed to sentence on the basis that you had a relatively small role as a courier.
“You should not have done what you did and a custodial sentence is the only outcome in this case,” he added.
At the earlier hearing, prosecutor David Logan outlined the circumstances of Collum’s offending to Lord Weir.
Mr Logan told the court that two Police Scotland officers were on “mobile patrol” in an unmarked car in the Inverness area on the morning of July 21 2022.
Top brass then instructed the pair to keep a “look out” for a white Seat Leon, which they believed was involved in drug supply.
After seeing the car, the officers pulled Collum over and found three bags of cocaine in a Nike bag in a passenger footwell.
They also found an iPhone that belonged to Collum.
Google search for ‘Glasgow to Elgin scenic route’
Specialist officers then assessed the value of cocaine and found if it was divided into gram deals.
Dealers could have netted themselves between £240,000 and £300,000 worth of cash, the court heard.
Mr Logan also said that officers examined Collum’s phone and found that he had been communicating with a man called “Chubba”.
Speaking about the incriminating evidence found on Collum’s handset, Mr Logan said:
“The messages relate to drugs supply and it appears that Chubba is directing the accused and others to courier drugs or carry out smaller drug deals.
“Messages contain guides to prices for various deals and references to travelling to Elgin as well as Airdrie, EK – presumably East Kilbride – and other places around Scotland.
“The messages date from May 27 2022 to July 2022.
“There are notes stored in the phone detailing prices for various sizes of deals.
“It appears that the accused was involved in the supply of various street deal amounts of cocaine.
“There are images of what appears to be packages of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
“Some of these related to cannabis and it appears that the accused was involved in the supply of cannabis over the same time frame.
“There is a Google search on July 21 2023 at 8.57am for Glasgow to Elgin scenic route.”
‘He is taking actions to turn his life around’
Mr Logan also told the court that Collum made no comment when he was interviewed by police at Burnett Road Police Station in Inverness.
He later appeared in private at the city’s sheriff court.
On Monday, Mr Cloggie said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions.
He said that his client had suffered from poor mental health but had sought help to tackle his problems.
“He has the appropriate attitude and he displays the wider impact that drugs have on wider society.
“He has taken responsibility for his actions and he is taking actions to turn his life around,” he added.
Lord Weir told Collum that if he hadn’t pleaded guilty, he would have received a five-and-a-half-year-long sentence.
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