A father accepted the offer of £500 to transport thousands of pounds worth of cocaine to Aberdeen – in a decision that’s now cost him his liberty.
Paul Webb thought he’d found a way to make quick and easy money, but his plan went spectacularly wrong when his BMW was stopped at Craibstone roundabout.
The 42-year-old was found to have more than £13,000 of cocaine inside the vehicle and was swiftly arrested.
Webb previously pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of the class A drug over the incident, which happened on September 1 last year.
At that hearing, the court heard a detailed narrative of how automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) detected the car on the A90 at Stracathro travelling north towards the AWPR.
‘An offer to make easy money’
Officers, acting on intelligence, then swooped to intercept the vehicle and recover the drugs before they could flood the streets of the north-east.
Sentence had been deferred for reports, but Webb, of Broadfaulds Crescent, Whitburn, has returned to Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced.
Defence agent John Hardie said his client had a “very limited” record.
He said the circumstances in which Webb had become involved were contained in the court-ordered social work report.
The solicitor added Webb had made a “very, very foolish decision”.
He went on: “His decision to accept what ultimately was an offer to make easy money will have terrible consequences.
“He takes full responsibility and apologises for his actions.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Webb: “This is a case where you did what you did because you had been offered a sum of money, £500 according to the social work report, to drop off this package in Aberdeen.
“The package of course contained a significant quantity of cocaine with a substantial street value.
“It’s often been said in the courts here that people involved in bringing class A drugs into this area can expect to receive a custodial sentence.
“I’m satisfied this is a matter of such seriousness that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
He ordered Webb to be jailed for 14 months.
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