A drug dealer caught when he was found drunk behind the wheel of his car has been told he faces a “significant” prison term.
William Hawes was caught after a witness called police and said they believed he was under the influence.
Officers found him sitting in the motor with the engine running on Law Road in Dundee.
A breath test found he was just over the drink-drive limit – with 27 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 22.
A search then found two bags of heroin that had been hidden inside the vehicle.
A sheriff told Hawes he faces a “serious” jail sentence, blaming dealers like him for soaring death rates among drug users in Dundee.
Sheriff Alastair Brown said recent figures showed there had been 51 drug deaths in Dundee in 2017, up from 38 in 2016 – a jump of around 3%
Depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court the drugs were worth a total of £8,660, and that other evidence was found in his house linking him to dealing drugs.
Hawes, 26, of Court Street, Dundee, pled guilty on indictment to charges of being drunk in charge of a car and being concerned in the supply of diamorphine.
Defence solicitor Gary McIlravey said: “He doesn’t have the worst record and nothing to do with drugs.
“However, there are numerous road traffic offences.
“He was told to move the heroin from A to B – he stops short of saying he was threatened however.”
Sheriff Alastair Brown deferred sentence until next month for social work background reports and remanded Hawes in custody meantime.
He said heroin had been a factor in half of the drug deaths in Dundee during 2017 and those involved in its supply could expect to be dealt with severely.
Sheriff Brown added: “Those minded to deal in diamorphine in Dundee must understand it will be met with serious sentencing.”
