A courier was caught with drugs worth more than £76,000 in his car.
Police discovered packages of cocaine and cannabis when they pulled over Steven Sutherland on the Forfar stretch of the A90 between Dundee and Aberdeen.
The 55-year-old joiner claimed he had been paid £500 for delivering the packages.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told police had been monitoring Sutherland and followed him on Dundee’s Kingsway.
He was arrested and had his phone seized after being stopped on the A90 at Parkford.
Fiscal depute Emma Farmer said: “A carrier bag was recovered from the boot of the vehicle and a further bag was recovered from the spare wheel compartment.
“Within these bags, police found two packages of cannabis and one package of cocaine.”
The two cannabis packages weighed 970g each and had a maximum potential street value of £14,550 if the drugs were sold in gram deals.
Had the 496g cocaine package been sold in similar deals, it would have a value between £49,680 and £62,100.
Sutherland told police he was paid £500 to travel from Aberdeen to Wishaw in North Lanarkshire and collect two boxes of cannabis but denied any knowledge of the cocaine.
Ms Farmer said: “He advised that he was instructed to park at a location before an unknown person attended and placed the packages within the back seats.
“Mr Sutherland then moved these items to the boot prior to the journey back to Aberdeen.”
Sutherland, of New Deer in Aberdeenshire, pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis on September 12 2023 on the A90.
As an alternative to custody, Sheriff George Way ordered him to perform 210 hours of unpaid work and he was placed under social work supervision for 18 months.
Refugee left scarred
A chicken factory worker left a Ukrainian refugee scarred and injured after discovering she was having an affair with her partner. The 49-year-old victim was left with blisters and hearing loss after love rival Mioara Sosu, 42, hurled a scalding cup of coffee over her head in Coupar Angus.
Extended sentence
Steven Connery, 41, from Angus, was given an extended 13-year sentence for sexual offences that took place in the Forth Valley and Tayside areas between May 2006 and May 2019.
He was jailed for a decade with an extra three years on licence when he is released.
Connery was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow in March of a number of offences including rape and sexual assault.
Police Scotland said he was arrested in 2022 after two women – one who has since died – reported the sexual offences.
Judge placed him on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and imposed an indefinite non-harassment order in respect of his surviving victim.
Detective Sergeant Khalid Abdulrahman of Forth Valley’s public protection unit said: “Although one of Connery’s victims passed away, it was right that her evidence was heard in court through the reading of statements.
“I hope this sentencing brings some comfort to both her family and the other victim in this case.
“Our thoughts remain with them as without their information, Connery wouldn’t have been held accountable for his despicable actions. Such crimes will not be tolerated.
“I would urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence or anyone with information about those involved to come forward and report it, regardless of when it happened..”
Rapist fled to Iran
A rapist from Perth who was convicted in his absence of carrying out a sex attack on a sleeping university student has left Scotland for Iran, a court has heard. Omed Hassan failed to appear at the High Court in Edinburgh for the final day of his trial in March this year when jurors were deliberating on their verdict.
Machete motorist
A motorist has admitted brandishing a machete at another driver during a flare-up in Perth.
James McGregor passed a Mercedes Benz on Auld Bond Road, at a point where lanes were merging into one, the city’s court heard.
The 26-year-old was seen holding the large blade while acting in an aggressive manner.
McGregor, of Sandpiper Gardens, Perth, admitted possession of a bladed weapon and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on October 9 2022.
Sentence was deferred for background reports.
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