A drug dealer was caught with a suitcase packed with £10,000 worth of cannabis.
Police recovered the illicit stash when they raided Jamie Hunter’s home in St Madoes, Perthshire.
The 32-year-old restaurant worker admitted being involved in the supply of the class B drug and was jailed.
He tried to play down his role in the region’s drug trade, insisting he was looking after the suitcase for an unnamed friend.
However, Sheriff William Wood questioned suspicious text messages found on phones at the property, along with scales containing traces of drugs and a hand-written price list.
He told Hunter: “This was not a one-off, this was something you were involved in for six months.
“It may be that you felt obliged to look after someone else’s stash but it goes beyond that.”
“All of the factors suggest you were involved – or you allowed your home to be involved – in a sophisticated operation.”
Jailing Hunter for 15 months, he said: “The amount of cannabis recovered was significant and only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Court hears of drug debts
Hunter told police about the suitcase under his bed when they arrived at his property at Sidlaw Park in March, last year.
Perth Sheriff Court heard he had run up debts of £15,000 and was worried he was going to lose his home.
Solicitor Louisa Wade said that Hunter had started to use cannabis to “calm his nerves”.
“He was open and cooperative with police from the moment they raided his home.
“He was looking for ways to get cheap cannabis to feed his habit.
“But then his benefits were cut and his rent increased and he found himself in real debt.”
She said: “It appears that he was a little naive about what he had got himself into.
“He was getting further and further out of his depth.
“He is not someone who was sitting pretty, he was someone who was in a pickle.”
Explanation for texts and ‘menu’
She said the text messages were linked to a small number of sales to his ex-partner and her close friends.
The menu found at the property had been copied out by Hunter from an original handwritten note from the person who gave him the suitcase.
“He wrote it out because his friend’s English wasn’t too good,” said Ms Wade.
She said Hunter had been trying to turn his life around.
“He has spent the last year trying to dig his way out of this mess,” she said.
