A Dundee man threw a heroin package worth thousands of pounds into a garden while being chased by police, a court was told.
George Bryceland, 56, of King Street, Broughty Ferry, is standing trial at the High Court in Aberdeen over claims he was concerned in the supply of drugs and obstructed police officers in their duty by discarding a bag of heroin.
The charges, which he denies, date from December last year at addresses in Broughty Ferry.
Detective Sergeant Ray Birnie was on duty on December 13 in his role within the community investigation unit at Hilltown.
Earlier that month, the court heard, a warrant had been issued to search Bryceland’s home in Broughty Ferry based on intelligence that he was dealing drugs.
Advocate Depute Allan Nicol, prosecuting, said that on December 13 DS Birnie was in a marked police vehicle with colleague PC Colin McKenzie, when they saw Bryceland and another man speaking in Forthill Road and approached them.
Speaking from the witness box, DS Birnie said: “The first gentleman, George Bryceland, was known to me, but the second wasn’t.
“We pulled up a few yards ahead of them and got out of the vehicle.
“I shouted at them at that point that they were both being detained for the purposes of a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act. At that point, Mr Bryceland ran away, into a driveway about 10 yards away.
“He threw a small package into the right-hand side of the driveway.”
The package was later found to have 20.83g of heroin in it, with an approximate street value of £2,000, the court was told.
Jurors heard that a further search of Bryceland found a set of digital scales, which when analysed had traces of the drug on them, a wallet with £60 cash in it, and a further £190 in loose notes.
Later that day, a search warrant was executed at Bryceland’s home address in King Street and another set of scales and a further £2,000 in cash were discovered, the court was told.
The trial, before judge Lord Alistair Clark, continues.
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