A repeat drug offender caught with high purity cocaine worth up to £865,000 was jailed for five years.
Paul Harkess was stopped by police as he was driving three kilos of the Class A drug from Glasgow towards Dundee.
A further two kilos of cocaine were later recovered during a search of his flat in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.
Forensic analysis found the purity of the cocaine recovered was 73%, approaching twice the 42% average street purity of cocaine found in the north of Scotland.
When Harkess, 52, appeared for sentence at the High Court at Livingston he claimed he had only agreed to be a drug courier to pay off a debt to his own suppliers.
Debt to dealers
Solicitor advocate Simon Whyte, defending, admitted Harkess has a poor record of offending over a significant period of time.
He said: “Until a significant decline in Mr Harkess’ health – he had cancer – he’d been in full time employment and had been absent from what had been a prior significant drug habit.
“That deteriorating health led to the loss of his employment and he got back into debt.
“The explanation of the way he came to be involved in the circumstances of this offence will be familiar to this court.”
He said Harkess accepted the drugs were of high value but due to the limited role he was playing, the value was of little importance to him.
He said: “All that mattered to him was that his debts would be written off by the couriering of the items, which was to be done in two parts.”
He conceded his client already had three significant previous convictions for supplying and cultivating drugs.
30-year criminal record
Jailing Harkess, judge Lord Montgomery pointed out his criminal record stretched from 1992 to 2021, with 32 previous convictions of which 10 related to drugs.
He has received nine prison sentenced.
He said: “The abuse of illicit drugs is a scourge on society and in particular on the lives of young people in Scotland.
“This court has reiterated time and time again that those involved in the distribution of this type of drug should expect significant sentences of imprisonment.
“I’m satisfied there is no appropriate alternative to a custodial sentence in this case.”
Tried to flee from car
Harkess earlier pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine on June 16 last year on the northbound A90 and at his flat in Downcraig Drive, Glasgow.
He also admitted failing to stop his car after being required to do so by police.
The court heard he was targeted after detectives received a tip-off he was on the road from Glasgow with a large quantity of cocaine.
Advocate depute Leanne Cross said officers were instructed to trace his car and it was spotted on the A90 road northbound, near the Longforgan junction and heading towards Dundee.
He ignored their signals but was stopped at the end of a layby.
Ms Cross said: “Prior to the vehicle actually coming to a stop, the accused tried to get out of the car and run from the police officers but he was quickly apprehended by them and handcuffed.”
She said that before the car came to a halt a mobile phone had been thrown from the driver’s side.
Three taped blocks of cocaine were found inside a Slaters carrier bag in the rear of the car.
The advocate depute said the five blocks of high purity cocaine recovered by police could potentially yield between £605,500 and £865,000 in the streets if it was adulterated to bring the purity down to around 42%.
Miss Cross said drug expert officers “had no difficulty in concluding that, on the basis of the quantity recovered, this cocaine was for onward supply.”
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