Prosecutors have clawed back more than £2,300 from a drug mule who was caught with £100,000 worth of high quality cocaine.
Gareth Hughes was transporting nearly a quarter of a kilo of the class A substance to an underworld figure in Scone.
The out-of-work 51-year-old was paid just under £3,000 for his illicit run, according to a bank statement found by police in his car.
But it is thought that Hughes may have made as much as £240,000 from his involvement in the drugs trade.
A confiscation hearing was held at Perth Sheriff Court to recover proceeds Huddersfield man Hughes made from his crimes.
At the beginning of the process in March, prosecutors sought to seize about £16,000 which they said was his current realisable assets.
This week, both the Crown and Hughes’ solicitors agreed he could afford to pay back just over less than a sixth of that amount: £2,343.45.
He has been ordered to do so within six months.
Pulled over
Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson earlier told the court: “Police stopped the accused within a car on the M90 northbound as they had intelligence there were controlled drugs within the vehicle.
“He was carrying them on behalf of a named individual in Scone.”
She said: “The car was searched.
“A box containing white powder was found behind the front passenger seat.
“It was confirmed to be 249.6 grams of cocaine of 77% purity.
“Scales with traces of cocaine were also found in a golf bag and a bank statement showed the accused had been paid £2,980 over a month by the named individual.”
Ms Robertson told the court if the cocaine was cut with other substances and sold in individual street deals it could be worth as much as £95,850.
Jailed
Hughes, of Minerva Street, Huddersfield, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine near Bridge of Earn.
He was jailed for 13 months in May 2020.
Sheriff George Way said: “He makes no bones about it – and that is to his credit – that he accepts he was couriering class A drugs.
“No one is suggesting he is a ‘player’ but the chain links all have to bind together.
“Every link in the chain has to be in place for drugs to successfully reach the streets.”
The sheriff added: “He knew perfectly well he was a chain link in the supply of cocaine that would end up on the streets and everyone knows the consequences of that.
“Part of the difficulty with the courier situation is that the very people who are targeted are those that might be under the radar because of the kind of person they are.”
