Police surveillance sting netted £32,000 drugs haul
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David Ross admitted being concerned in the supply of the drug between June and December 2016 and Sheriff David Sutherland heard how the surveillance operation was set up in October.
Dozens of people were seen visiting Ross’s parents address in Inverness’s Kilmuir Road, where he stayed.
Depute fiscal Michelle Molley said these visitors only stayed for a few minutes before leaving.
On October 24, 2016 seven people were seen visiting and police stopped one a short distance away. Three individual wraps of amphetamine were found in her possession.
Drugs squad officers later obtained authority to carry out surveillance on another property in Wyvis Place which Ross rented.
Officers saw two people visit that address each day on November 29 and 30, remaining there for a matter of minutes.
A search warrant was executed at the address in Kilmuir Road on December 15 and Ross, who admitted previous convictions, was inside.
Police found wraps of powder in a freezer, £165 cash, two scales, clear bags and a key for the Wyvis Place address. A search of that address recovered bags of white substance, seven boxes with ‘glucose’ written on them, keys and documents in Ross’s name.
Ms Molley said Ross initially denied any involvement.
When asked about the people visiting the house in Kilmuir Road he said he did not know the people and he was not there during the day.
But he changed his story when police revealed the property had been under surveillance and he had been seen there.
He then admitted renting the property in Wyvis Place and stated he had a £5000 debt to unnamed Glasgow drug dealers and was being forced to hold amphetamine there. He described how he was being forced to purchase the glucose packets. The fiscal said Ross told police this happened on two occasions and each time £500 was removed from his debt.
“During further questioning he described how he would take some of the amphetamine out of the packages in order to deal to associates as he needed the money.”
At the address in Wyvis Place a total of 1467g of amphetamine was recovered.
The fiscal said glucose is commonly used to bulk out amphetamine and if sold in £10 deals the value of the drugs recovered was £31,780.
Sentence was deferred until March 29 and Ross’s bail was continued.
