Man jailed for 18 months over £50k cocaine seizure in Inverness retail park
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A man has been imprisoned for 18 months after admitting offence following £50k drugs haul in Eastfield Way car park.
Police were suspicious when they saw a motorist pulling up beside another vehicle and then try to hide a shiny toilet bag as he approached the car.
Officers decided to move in at the Eastfield Way car park in Inverness on the morning of June 11, 2019 when 30 year old Cumbernauld man Andrew Fraser returned without the bag but carrying a different package.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that what they discovered was almost £50,000 worth of cocaine, weighing 246.72 grams.
Fraser of Millcroft Road appeared before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald and admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug.
Sentence had been deferred for a background report on Fraser whose lawyer, Lindsay Gaughan said: "He had an addiction problem and a large amount of debt at the time."
But Sheriff Macdonald said that due to the large amount of drugs and the value, there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.
She jailed Fraser for 18 months but added: "I accept you had a lesser role and I will restrict the sentence accordingly."
Fiscal depute Robert Weir told the court that Fraser's "car was searched and two pink bags of white powder were found in the footwell.
"One bag was mixed with paracetamol but the cocaine purity was 42 per cent. If sold in half gram deals, the total street value would be £49,300.
