A grandfather who threw a frying pan of cocaine into a sink when police raided his drugs factory was jailed for three years on Wednesday.
Dean Moir and his sidekick Paul Hannigan were caught red-handed cutting the Class A drug with caffeine and other substances to maximise their profits.
Perth Sheriff Court was told the raid was carried out at the home of Hannigan, who was also jailed for three years when the pair admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Sheriff William Wood said: “Drugs are a scourge on our society. They break up families and break up homes and they cause substantial misery.
“You were both involved in cutting the drug with other substances, either to make it more useable or improve profits. It wasn’t a case of simply storing or bagging it.”
Perth joiner’s ‘drugs factory’ run from kitchen discovered in police raid
Business owner Moir, 46, and fellow joiner Paul Hannigan, 48, were caught red-handed in the kitchen they were using as a drug factory when officers raided the house.
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney told the court: “Moir was holding a frying pan full of white powder. He threw the contents into a basin of water in the sink.
“He was wearing blue latex gloves with powder residue on them. They were tested and proved negative for controlled drugs.
“Police formed the impression he had been adulterating cocaine within the kitchen prior to their arrival.
“The maximum potential illicit value was between £11,150 and £22,300.”
Moir, Almond Gardens, and Hannigan, Ballantine Place, both Perth, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine on 26 October 2018.
Solicitor David Holmes, for Moir, said: “This was not a frying pan that was hot or used. It is something of a red herring. It just seems to have been used as a container.”
He told the court that Moir was a family man with a good work ethic.
