A former Forfar and St Johnstone footballer who used his sporting and business connections to peddle drugs has been jailed for 51 months.
He continued: “Tayside Police aims to reduce the harm of serious and organised crime and make life for these criminals as inhospitable and hostile as we possibly can”.
The police operation noted Maher was sourcing illegal drugs from the North West of England including Liverpool and Cheshire for distribution through Auchterarder and Perth.
Two sub-dealers were identified and arrested by drugs squad officers early in 2010, with both subsequently pleading guilty to their involvement in the local drugs scene.
Detectives recovered a kilogram of cocaine, with a street value of £50,000, when they arrested drug courier Paul Connelly on January 20 last year.
Connelly (30), of Auchterarder, was subsequently sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
There was further success for the police when officers recovered a further 525 grams of cocaine, with a potential illicit value of £28,250, when they stopped Kenneth Morrison the following month.
The 30-year old from Perth was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison.
Perhaps more importantly, the inquiry identified Maher’s principle role in the crime group and he was subsequently arrested, along with other associates, on May 13 last year.
Along with the cocaine, drugs squad officers seized more than £51,000 in cash.
Tayside Police continue to pursue both cash and assets in this case under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Assets seized during this case could yet be used as part of the Cashback for Communities Scheme – a Scottish Government initiative that allows the seized proceeds of crime to be used to allow young people to develop their skills and interests.
Former professional midfielder, Martin Maher, who was described in court as “a principal supplier of cocaine to users in Auchterarder, Perthshire,” had signed for St Johnstone as a youth and made his Scottish Premier League (SPL) debut in 2002.
He moved to Forfar Athletic after playing 10 games for the Perth side.
Defence advocate John Hamilton said that after leaving the SPL, Maher had continued to play football and that until recently he had turned out for the local Auchterarder team.
Maher, of Victoria Road, Auchterarder, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of the drug between February 2007 and February last year.
A police surveillance operation targeting Maher seized 1.5kg of cocaine with a possible street value of £78,250.
Acting on a tip-off, police set up an undercover operation and tailed another man as he drove a van belonging to Maher’s father’s firm to Widnes, Cheshire, where he picked up a package.
The van was stopped and searched in a layby near Balhaldie, when the package was discovered to contain a kilo of cocaine.
Not all of the package would have been delivered to Maher, said Mr Stewart, but the watch on him continued and another half kilo was seized. He was arrested as he got off a flight from Spain.
The court heard how he earned between £1,000 and £5,000 a month from the family business, which Mr Stewart said was “a well-established and substantial enterprise, which was started by his father”.
Mr Stewart added: “All the purchasers knew Maher and were known to him from the locality, usually through local football teams, school connections or work.”
Mr Hamilton said Maher regretted his actions. He said: “He now understands the consequences of what he has done. He approached the matter with a degree of naivety.”
The lawyer likened Maher’s part in the chain of supply to that of a shopkeeper.
Maher did not enjoy the “trappings of wealth,” but lived in a former council house with a £100,000 mortgage and shared the family car.
Following Maher’s sentencing Tayside Police Detective Superintendent Willie Semple of the crime intelligence division said he was “satisfied” with the outcome.
“The sentence sends a very clear message to those people who traffic drugs into our area and peddle them on our streets that their dangerous trade will not be tolerated,” said Det Sgt Semple.
He said the outcome was viewed as a “significant success” that has “caused significant disruption to a local serious and organised crime group”.
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