A Perth mother-of-two who turned her family home into a drug den has been sent to jail for 12 months.
Perth Sheriff Court heard police raided the house of Esther Amos, 45, in Letham, early one morning and found around 900 grammes of cannabis – a class ‘B’ drug – with an estimated street value of nearly £12,000.
Her husband and children were woken from their beds as officers swooped on the property, finding large bags of the drug in the living room and two bedrooms.
The court heard that drug paraphernalia was found in the house, including scales, bags and small tins containing cannabis, along with a number of mobile phones.
Depute fiscal John Malpass said police analysed the phones and discovered many drug-related messages that indicated she was involved in the supply of the drug.
Officers found the larger bags of the drug were filled with smaller bags and divided up into deal-sized packages for sale. Police deemed the amount of drugs found far too much for Amos’s own consumption.
Mr Malpass said the family home had been turned into a drug den.
Amos, of Dunsinane Drive, Perth, admitted that she was concerned in the supply of cannabis to others between October 7 and 18 last year.
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said it was “frustrating” for first-time offender Amos to be facing sentence when she was in the process of addressing her drug habits.
“It’s very disappointing that she finds herself facing this,” he said.
“But I have warned her of the possible consequences.”
Sentencing Amos, Sheriff Gillian Wade told her: “I think your solicitor has said everything that can be said. It is clear you had a significant drug enterprise going on here – it wasn’t done to feed your drug habit.
“The court has a responsibility to send out a message that drugs should not be in our community and there is no alternative here but a custodial sentence.”
Amos was sent to jail for 12 months.
