A drug dealer was caught with cocaine and heroin worth more than £21,000 after being stopped by police in an Inverness supermarket car park.
Stephen Murray – a heroin addict with a £250-a-week habit – was detained by officers outside Tesco and wraps of drugs were found in his jacket pockets.
A subsequent search of Murray’s home recovered more drugs.
Murray, 62, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court, having previously admitted a charge of being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Intelligence led to drugs search
At a previous hearing, fiscal depute Naomi Duffy Welsh told the court how Murray had been walking with “an associate” in the car park of the Tesco store on Eastfield Way when was stopped by officers on March 25 last year.
She said it was 1.35pm when officers acting on intelligence detained Murray for a drugs search, which turned up a glove filled with wraps from each of his jacket pockets and a mobile phone
A subsequent search of Murray’s home recovered scales, mobile phones, SIM cards and cash.
When interviewed by police, Murray denied the associate from the car park was involved and told officers he had been a heroin addict for around 15 years and had a £250-a-week habit.
When the drugs were analysed, they were found to be 627 wraps of cocaine, each of which weighed just under 0.2g.
These had the potential to realise £12,540 if sold in deals at that weight.
There were also 286 wraps of diamorphine, with a potential value of £8,580 if sold in 0.5g deals.
Fear and control
Solicitor Patrick O’Dea, for Murray, told the court that his client had been subject to an “element of control” by another individual at the time of the offence.
He said: “There was an element of fear involved.”
Sheriff Sara Matheson placed Murray, of Kintail Terrace, on a community payback order with 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.
She also granted a confiscation order in the sum of £8,860 for the cash seized from Murray.