A heroin user was forced to sell drugs worth more than £25,000 in order to clear his mounting debts and feed his addiction.
Police snared Daniel Montague with the Class A drug on two separate occasions within a three-day period.
Montague is now behind bars after he pled guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to being concerned in the supply of heroin in the Dryburgh area of the city.
In debt to dealers
The court was told how Montague was “pressured” into the selling the drugs as he fell into debt with dealers higher up the chain.
When officers swooped on his home, Montague lobbed a tub full of heroin out of a window and onto the snow below.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: “I entirely understand the situation you were in and I understand the reasons for you being concerned in the supply of these drugs.
“Dundee still has an unenviable record of being one of the highest drug-related death areas in the UK.
“You have played your part in being concerned in the supply of heroin and contributed to the misery in Dundee.”
Police raid
Montague’s home on Lansdowne Court was raided after police received intelligence that drugs were being dealt from the property.
Entry had to be forced after the door was blocked by a chest of drawers and a metal pole.
Fiscal depute Christine Allan said: “The accused was eventually detained for a search and taken to the living room where he was found with £85 in cash.
“Police entering the building had seen an item landing on the ground and into the snow. This was found to be a plastic tub containing brown powder.”
The flat was searched and mobile phones, scales and another tub of brown powder were discovered.
Montague initially denied dealing the drugs and said they were for his own personal use. The 30-year-old appeared on petition at Dundee Sheriff Court in connection with the offence.
However just three days later, he was again caught with heroin, this time in a plastic bag, by police who had been monitoring his activities.
Mrs Allan added: “Police traced the accused with a bag containing a large quantity of brown powder. This tested positive for heroin.
“The accused said he found the bag at the side of the road.”
The court heard that between both searches, police found 632.41g of heroin with a maximum potential value of £25,290.
Following orders
Montague, a prisoner of HMP Perth, pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin between December 24 last year and February 13 this year as well as on February 16 this year while on bail.
Solicitor Jim Laverty said Montague had not profited from the sale of the drugs and was merely following orders in order to feed his habit and clear his debts.
Mr Laverty said: “He was under some pressure and he succumbed to that pressure. In regards to the second charge, it’s clear Mr Montague and those higher in the chain were being surveyed by the police and they already knew where he had been and where he was taking this package.”
Montague was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
