Drugs trafficker jailed after Aberdeenshire farm raid

A drugs trafficker whose haul of heroin and cocaine was unearthed after a detection dog was deployed was jailed for 40 months today.

Liverpudlian Shaun McCafferty was caught with heroin worth more than pounds 60,000 on the streets along with pounds 5620 of cocaine and a suspected cancer-causing cutting agent.

McCafferty, 30, was on licence after being jailed for drugs offences in England when the Class A drugs were recovered at a farm in Aberdeenshire.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: "It is within judicial knowledge that there is a problem in the Aberdeen area with drugs supply coming from Liverpool."

Lady Scott said she was satisfied that McCafferty had played "a significant role" and told him he would have faced a five-year sentence if he had been convicted after trial.

McCafferty, a prisoner, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine between September 7 and 14 this year at an unclassified road running between Graystone Farm and South Collielaw Farm, at Blackhills, Peterhead and elsewhere.

Advocate depute Alan Cameron told the court McCafferty had previously been sentenced to 30 months in England for offences involving heroin and cocaine.

The court heard that a woman had been driving on the unclassified road when she stopped to speak to the accused and noticed that he had a Liverpool accent.

Police later deployed a drug detection dog in the area which gave a positive reaction and a bag partially covered by grass and moss was found.

It contained a further bag with the drugs and McCafferty's DNA was found on it. The bag contained more than half a kilo of the heroin and cocaine and the adulterant phenacetin.

Officers recovered the bag and put a replacement back in place and saw McCafferty arrive at the scene and he was detained after driving off.

Defence counsel Drew McKenzie said McCafferty's parents had serious drug dependency problems and were in debt to dealers.

"The accused was threatened that unless he or someone else participated in bringing drugs to the Peterhead area then serious violence would be visited on his parents," he said. He added that McCafferty had then transported the drugs to the area.

• by Dave Finlay