Dundee man caught with £450,000 of drugs facing jail sentence

A man was caught storing a haul of drugs worth £450,000 on the streets after a police raid on his home.

A judge was told that John Nicholson was not the owner of the cache of heroin, amphetamine and cannabis recovered from his address in Dundee.

Advocate depute Stewart Ronnie told the High Court in Edinburgh that police received intelligence to the effect that Nicholson was concerned in the supply of drugs at his home.

Officers gained entry to his house in Raglan Street by the unsecured front door and detained him under drugs legislation.

Mr Ronnie said he was asked if there was anything illegal in the house and he led officers to a bedroom where he pointed out a large carrier bag and suitcase.

The prosecutor said a brief check revealed to officers that they contained "a large quantity of drugs". More than two and a half kilos of heroin worth £263,000 on the streets was found.

They also recovered £100,000 worth of amphetamine and a quantity of cannabis with a maximum potential value of between £60,000 and £90,000.

The court heard that although Nicholson had previous convictions for road traffic offences and dishonesty he had never previously been jailed.

The 43-year-old admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug heroin and the Class B drugs amphetamine and cannabis on February 9 this year, when he appeared in court earlier.

Defence counsel Ronnie Renucci said that Nicholson had pled guilty on the basis that he had allowed his house to be used for the storage of the drugs.

Mr Renucci said: "He was not the owner of the drugs. He was doing so to pay off a debt."

The defence counsel said that Nicholson's debt was to be "written off" under the arrangement.

Lord Kinclaven adjourned sentence on Nicholson for the preparation of a background report and remanded him in custody. He is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen on May 11.