A Dundee heroin dealer, who was jailed for three-and-a-half years after being caught in a £50,000 drug bust, is appealing his sentence.
Alexander Cruickshank, 29, was seen receiving the Class A drug in Baxter Park by a police surveillance team.
His defence team said Cruickshank, formerly of Baldovan Terrace, was going to be paid to transport the drugs in order to pay off his own £1,500 drug debts.
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael jailed Cruickshank for 42 months after he admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin at Baldovan Terrace on March 12.
Cruickshank will be appearing before the Court of Appeal on August 19 as his legal team argue that the length of his sentence should be cut. The Edinburgh-based court was unable to provide information on why Cruickshank is appealing his sentence.
The case will first call on August 11, when a decision will be made whether to make Cruickshank attend court for the appeal hearing, or if it would be suitable for him to appear from his cell via video link.
At Dundee Sheriff Court in May, Jonathan Crowe QC, defending, revealed that Cruickshank had agreed to move nearly half a kilo of heroin following threats to his friends and family after failing to pay £1,500 to dealers.
Cruickshank was offered a “quick-fix” chance to pay off the debt and to “wipe the slate clean” by picking up drugs.
Mr Crowe added: “He knew full well what the consequences would be.”
Unknown to Cruickshank, when he headed to Baxter Park to pick up the drugs he was seen by officers from Police Scotland’s Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit.
They looked on as the goods were handed to him and saw him drive them home for safe keeping.
Officers raided Cruickshank’s home soon afterwards and found heroin in an electricity meter cupboard. They found two packages of brown powder inside a Lacoste bag. After analysis it was confirmed it was heroin.
The court did not hear where the drugs were thought to have been heading afterwards, but one bag had a purity of 13% and the other was 14%, which is an average level for Dundee.
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