A MAN has gone on trial before a jury at Inverness Sheriff Court facing an allegation that he was involved in heroin dealing.
The trial before Sheriff Ian Abercrombie heard that drugs enforcement officers acting of intelligence information received met 36 year-old Brian Macleod as he came off a bus at the town’s Farraline Park just after midnight on January 19 last year and arrested him.
A body search back at the police station later revealed Macleod, who is claiming the heroin was for his personal use, was concealing 25.5 grammes of the drug.
Macleod (35) of Anderson Court, Inverness has pleaded not guilty to the charge that on January 19, 2011 at Farraline Par and Burnett Road Police Station and elsewhere he was involved in the supply of diamorphine (heroin) a Class A drug.
Detective Constable Michael Don (43) told the court heroin was commonly sold in quantities of £10 bags and the value of the drugs found on Macleod was the equivalent of 259 £10 deals.
The drugs he said were found in separated packets one containing 13.32 grammes and the other 12.58 grammes following an internal examination at Burnett Road Police Station. .
Asked by Depute Fiscal David Bernard if users often bought wholesale for personal use he said that did happen but it was often for geographical reasons when the user lived in remote areas like Shetland for example.
In Glasgow, he told the jury, diamorphine would fetch a wholesale price of £1000 per ounce but in Inverness that would rise to £1,200 to £1,400 and the value would increase when it was broken down into small £10 and £20 dealing quantities. Macleod told police he bought the drugs for £700.
The witness said scales were also found in the bedroom of Macleod’s home and these scales were of the type which would be used for the purpose of measuring quantities of drugs and not domestic scales which were no use for that purpose.
Asked by Mr Bernard if 25.9 grammes was indicative of intent to supply.
“In my opinion - yes,” replied DC Don.
The fiscal said 25.9 grammes would provide 21 batches for 17 days.
“That would be an annual cost of £14,700. Do you think that is sustainable for someone who is employed?”
DC Don replied: “It would be difficult for anybody.”
He agreed with the fiscal that it would be even more difficult for someone who was unemployed.
The trial continues.
