Claims that he was just holding a stash of drugs for some friends failed to stop a hapless Perth dealer from being sent to jail.
After a search by police officers uncovered more than £1,300-worth of Class A and B substances, Farhad Moghaddam was taken into custody.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that a plastic bag containing almost 35 grammes of cannabis was found in a bedroom in his Scott Street flat.
Depute fiscal John Malpass said: “They also found a box containing a grinder and a small quantity of cannabis, understood to be around 0.3 grammes.
“They were of the opinion that this smaller quantity was being used for personal use. The accused’s telephone was seized and there was evidence that he was concerned in the supply of cannabis and he admitted this in the interview.”
The search team also found a bag containing cocaine, which was hidden in the washing machine, and Moghaddam told officers he was providing a “safe house” for it.
Solicitor Cliff Culley told the court that his 26-year-old client only supplied his friends with cannabis to fund his own habit and supplement his wages as a kitchen porter.
He added: “He had been asked by someone to store a package in his house, but he didn’t know what was in it.
“He appreciates that there was something illegal in the box, but didn’t know it was cocaine.”
Moghaddam admitted that on November 15 last year, at his home address, he was concerned in the supply of cannabis and cocaine.
Imposing a custodial sentence of 21 months, Sheriff Alistair Brown said: “The courts have made it quite clear over many years that people concerned in the supply of controlled drugs may expect to be dealt with seriously. In this case, a custodial sentence is inevitable my only question is how long it should be.
“Your involvement for each drug is slightly different. With the cannabis, you were preparing to supply it to others and sell it, whereas with the cocaine, you were providing what was intended to be a safe house . . .”