News / Dealer jailed for six months
A TWENTY four year old man who admitted being concerned in the supply of over £1,500-worth of cannabis resin has been given a six-month jail term.
Alexander Hart, of Aberdeen’s Beattie Avenue, admitted to the charge dating back to 22 January 2016 at Lerwick Ferry Terminal. He was found in possession of 105 grams of the class B substance, with an estimated value of £1,575, and 1.7 grams of cocaine worth around £100.
His co-accused, 23 year old Peter Lovie, of Craigielea Avenue, Aberdeen, admitted possessing 11.2 gams of cannabis worth around £165 on the same date. He was given a community payback order and told to carry out 60 hours’ unpaid work. Both men committed the offences while on bail granted at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said police were acting on intelligence after the pair arrived in Shetland on the NorthLink ferry.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said Hart, who is currently serving a 30-month sentence for a “non-analogous matter”, had been in a bad place after separating from his girlfriend, with whom he had a child.
He had come to Shetland to enjoy the Up Helly Aa festival and during the ferry journey was made aware that Lovie was in possession of cannabis and asked to help out.
Allan said his client was left in a cabin with the packages of cannabis, which he thought was a personal amount for Lovie’s use until he was next back in Aberdeen, and he was “completely naïve” about the drug’s value within the islands.
Cocaine was not something he was a user of and when asked about it by police he was “visibly upset and burst into tears”.
Sheriff Philip Mann told Hart that dealing drugs “almost automatically leads to custody”.
“You acted as a courier, and you must have known what you were getting into,” he said, jailing him for six months to be served consecutive to his existing prison term.
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