A drugs courier dubbed Spider-Ned gobbled down some of his consignment when he was cornered by police following a 24-mile high-speed chase through Tayside.
Connor McLeod was transporting more than £11,000 worth of heroin and street Valium when he became involved in a 95mph pursuit along the M90 and A90.
The car, driven by Robert Traynor, was brought to a halt when police laid a stinger across the carriageway and burst its tyres.
Officers approached the stricken Renault Clio and saw McLeod, 26, eating some of the blue tablets that were scattered around the vehicle.
McLeod, who was nicknamed Spider-Ned when he climbed down a 14-storey tower block to evade police in 2011, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and Etizolam on July 23, 2020.
Sheriff Gillian Wade said there was no alternative to custody and jailed him for 36 months.
Driver was oblivious to drugs in car
Traynor, 24, said he had no idea there were drugs in the car.
He pled guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop for uniformed officers at a speed check in Kinross-shire.
Sheriff Wade told him: “You are very fortunate that you are also not facing drugs charges, otherwise you would have easily met the custodial threshold.
“It is extremely concerning that you involved yourself in a matter such as this.”
Traynor, of Charleston Drive, Dundee, was ordered to complete 270 hours unpaid work and banned from the road for two years.
He will be placed on a restriction of liberty curfew for 10 months.
Failed to stop for police
The court heard that officers tried to pull over Traynor’s Clio when they clocked it travelling at 95mph along the M90 at Gairneybridge.
Police pursued the vehicle and called for back up as it continued towards Dundee at speeds of between 90 and 95 mph.
The car careered off the road when it hit the stinger near the Inchmichael junction.
Fiscal depute Andrew Harding said: “Mr McLeod was found to be a front seat passenger.
“He was observed to be in the process of eating a number of blue pills and refused to spit them out.”
Traynor was led away in handcuffs but McLeod could not be handcuffed as he had a plastercast on his arm.
Mr Harding said: “Large quantities of blue pills were scattered around the passenger footwell and under the passenger seat.
“They appeared to be coming from two open white tubs.”
The court heard there was 24.8g of heroin with a value of around £9,000.
Officers also recovered 5,000 Etizolam tablets, worth £2,500.
Accused had ‘cold feet’
Solicitor Anika Jethwa, representing Traynor, said: “He was not aware of what was in the car at the time.”
She added: “He accepts that these crimes are serious.”
Representing McLeod, solicitor Jim Laverty said a warrant was issued for his client after he “got cold feet” and decided against attending a previous court hearing.
“He knew that custody was inevitable,” he said.
“He advises me that he found himself in the predicament of drug debt and that predicament was getting significantly worse.
“It was made clear to him that he could extinguish this drug debt by acting as a courier.
“That was his choice to make.”
