A drug dealer who tried to pin the blame on his sister has been ordered to hand over nearly £25,000 he made from his illicit trade.
Steven Towers was jailed for 27 months earlier this year after he was discovered with more than £16,000 hidden in a secret vault.
Dundee drug dealer busted with over £16,000 in a hidden vault tried to blame sister
Towers has been forced to hand £24,700 over to the Crown after a proceeds of crime case against him was successful.
Sheriff Thomas Hughes granted the Crown’s application to recover the cash at Dundee Sheriff Court after Towers accepted making the money from drug dealing.
Towers, 27, had hidden some cash under a duvet in a child’s bedroom, but the main haul was secreted under the floorboards among the house foundations.
He admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and cocaine after officers raided his sister’s home in Mains Drive, Dundee, on May 31 last year.
The court heard officers carried out a search of the address after initially finding Towers with £885 in cash.
They found drugs hidden in a child’s bedroom, as well as two large bags stuffed with money under the floor.
Depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin told the court only Towers’ sister, Emma Whyte, and another woman, Pamela Mills, were in the property at the time.
She said: “Officers found bags of powder underneath a duvet in a child’s bedroom. This was later tested and was found to be cocaine.
“Floorboards of the property were lifted and a vast open space was discovered underneath.
“Police climbed down and found two plastic bags containing a substantial amount of money, totalling £16,810.
A total of 23.7g of cocaine valued at £2,300 was found in the property while cannabis valued at £110 was also found.
The court heard Towers had sent texts to his sister offering her money to dispose of the drugs and other evidence, including a set of scales.
When cautioned and charged, he told officers the drugs belonged to his sister but it was his DNA found on the drugs.
Towers, of Dundonald Street, Dundee, later claimed the cash was for a pet dog and money for a holiday.
Towers also admitted trying to pervert the court of justice by conspiring to have his sister pretend she was solely responsible for the drug dealing.
Emma Whyte was acquitted of attempting to pervert the court of justice after tendering a not guilty plea.
Pamela Mills was acquitted after tendering not guilty pleas to two charges of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.