A drug courier who was caught with a haul of high purity cocaine worth up to £600,000 on the streets faces a lengthy jail sentence.
Stephen Scott, 37, was stopped by police driving north on a motorway in a black Audi car with more than five kilos of the drug in the passenger footwell.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that unemployed Scott had made “a very bad decision” to accept an offer to pick up the package.
Scott, of Melfort Place, admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug on July 5 last year at the M9 near Stirling and elsewhere.
A judge agreed to continue his bail until next month while a background report is prepared on Scott, who has never previously received a jail sentence.
But Lord Arthurson told him: “You have pled guilty to an extremely serious offence. You should be under no illusion. You are facing a very significant custodial sentence.”
Advocate depute Richard Goddard QC said that on the day of the seizure police received information that Scott was in possession of drugs.
He was spotted driving the Audi and stopped that evening on the motorway when he was found to be the only occupant of the car.
The vehicle was taken to Falkirk police station and during a search officers found a supermarket carrier bag containing five overweight kilo packages of cocaine.
Mr Goddard said: “The purity of the cocaine averaged 78%. Individually the blocks could be sold as kilo weights at a value of pounds 40,000 each, making a total of £200,000.”
But the prosecutor added: “If subdivided the total quantity recovered had the potential to realise £500,000 to £600,000.”
Defence solicitor advocate Chris Fyffe said: “He does accept this was a very serious incident with very serious consequences, notwithstanding his limited involvement.”
He said Scott, a former call centre worker, took time off work after his child became ill but lost his job and was struggling financially.
Mr Fyffe said: “All the circumstances resulted in him making what he describes as ‘a very bad decision’ and accepting the offer to go and collect the package. He deeply regrets his involvement.”
The defence lawyer said that Scott had acted as a courier on a single day and had no idea of the quantity or nature of the drugs involved.
He added that there was nothing to suggest that Scott had “ingrained criminal attitudes”.
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