By Mark McLaughlin

A COCAINE dealer jailed for five years at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday was caught in a Dundee-wide swoop codenamed Operation Perdition, a senior detective revealed.

David Smith (39), Gleneagles Avenue, was found guilty of dealing drugs from his house in April after being found in possession of over 200g of cocaine—despite claiming it was for personal use.

Detective Inspector Ian Wales said it has been a good week for the drugs squad in Dundee as Smith was the second high-profile conviction within a few days.

Mr Wales, head of Tayside Police’s drugs branch, said yesterday’s sentence was “very significant” after the conviction of James Langlands (54) on Tuesday for trafficking 8.7 kilos of amphetamine through Dundee train station.

The detective said, “Together, these cases send out a strong message to people dealing in the misery of drugs that you are likely to receive a significant sentence, regardless of the quantity or class of the drug.

“Mr Smith was found in possession of cocaine with an illicit value of between £7000 and £9000, and his claim it was for his own use is absolutely ridiculous.

“He had a previous conviction for selling drugs and his more recent activities made him a target for Tayside Police.

“There is no specific quantity of drugs which police would deem as possession with intent to supply, and we’ve charged people with dealing two ecstasy tablets before.

“Our officers give statements of opinion in court, which take into account…the circumstances in which they were found.

“You could be dealing with a very small amount of drugs but they may be found alongside scales and other paraphernalia which shows intent to deal.”

Mr Wales added, “However, in Mr Smith’s case the amount of drugs found were completely unrealistic for personal use.”

Smith was apprehended during the third phase of Operation Perdition, a four-week intensive drugs swoop carried out by the drug squad and central division officers in April.

Police acting on intelligence carried out a raid on Smith’s house which led to the recovery of drugs and a set of scales.

The court heard he had a number of previous convictions for drug offences and had previously spent 30 months in prison.

Judge Lord Clarke told Smith, “You are clearly no stranger to the courts and really have a deplorable and lengthy record.”

Police have restrained all of Smith’s assets and he has been served with papers under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Police will be taking steps to seize any money they can prove has been gained through illegal practices.

Mr Wales added, “This sends a very clear message to criminals that, if convicted, we won’t just take your liberty—we’ll take your money as well.”

Meanwhile, Langlands will also be counting the cost of his crime after his attempts to clear a building society loan and bank overdraft through drug trafficking led to another conviction.

Langlands was stopped when he arrived at Dundee railway station and was found in possession of up to £21,000 of amphetamine.

He was sentenced to four years and eight months, but he was told by the judge he would have got seven years if he had not pleaded guilty.

Defence counsel Jonathan Crowe said Langlands had an extensive criminal record stretching back almost 40 years.

Mr Wales said this case contradicts the misconception among dealers that it is less risky to handle class B drugs such as amphetamine.