An Inverness dad who couriered £14,820 of cocaine to Oban will spend the next 18 months behind bars.
Aaron Grant, 26, had argued that, as a single parent to a young child, he should not be sent to jail. But Sheriff Euan Cameron said there was no alternative to custody.
Oban Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that Grant, of Millerton Avenue, had got himself into trouble with a drug debt.
Grant pled guilty at an earlier hearing.
After threats and to pay off the debt, he was told to deliver a package to Oban.
Dad claimed jail would harm child’s welfare
The package, about eight inches long and wrapped in black polythene, was placed in the glove compartment of his car.
Police later discovered the package along with an empty tub of citric acid.
Fiscal depute Raeesa Ahmed said: “On February 8, 2024, police witnesses were on patrol on Soroba Road near McCaig Road at 11.05pm.
“Officers had cause to stop the accused and detained him for a search. At 11.15pm a mobile phone and a black polythene bag were recovered.
“There was also an empty tub of citric acid.
“When the black bag was opened, there was a sealed bag inside that contained a white powder, later found to be cocaine.
“The accused was cautioned and arrested. He made no reply and was held in custody.”
Analysis revealed the bag contained 247.78g of cocaine with a purity of 53%. Its wholesale value was £11,000, but its estimated street value was £14,820, equating to 247 individual deals.
Defence agent Graeme Wright said: “He is a single father, with only his mother to assist him.
Jail ‘only option’ for Inverness dad who brought cocaine to Oban
“His mother is of some age, but will be the only person who can look after the child to stop the child going into care.
“The disruption to the child would be considerable.”
Mr Wright added: “It is a story we have heard many times—the slip towards the position my client finds himself in.
“It was an addiction that led to debt, that leads to the payment of debt, that leads to being involved at this level in the supply of drugs.
“The report outlines that he does not use cocaine anymore. Cocaine and he are finished.
“This was a one-off for him, one incident rather than a series of events. He perceived a threat to himself and his family.
“But he knows now the police should have been contacted, and it should not have been something he got involved in.”
Sheriff Cameron said that although he was concerned about the child’s welfare, sentencing guidelines do not allow for alternatives to custody unless there are exceptional circumstances.
‘The child will not have his dad with him’
He said: “If you are involved in the supply of Class A drugs, the broad tenor is custody unless there are exceptional circumstances. This child will not have his dad with him.
“Class A drugs inflict immeasurable harm on communities and tear families apart.
“Anyone concerned in the supply should expect a custodial sentence, such is the misery caused to communities.”
He added that people who are threatened by drug dealers, whatever their circumstances, should report it to the police.
The sheriff continued: “This is an evil trade, and there is no alternative to custody. But for the timing of your plea, you would have served two years in custody. I will reduce that to 18 months.
“This is a significant custodial sentence that will impact your son, and I have taken that into account, but such is the gravity that I have no alternative to custody.”
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