A drug gang member has been jailed after £355,000 of cocaine was found following a blaze at a Perth tower block.
Graham MacLeod, of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, was snared during a probe into the area’s drug trade in late 2019.
The 33 year-old had been spotted handing over a yellow “weighted” bag to dealer Callum Menzies at flats in the city’s Pomarium Street.
Menzies, 39, was a target of the police operation due to links with large-scale drug trafficking.
The pair were later seen leaving the flats separately.
Tenants evacuated
On December 22 2019, several 999 calls were then made about a fire at the block.
Residents were evacuated, but there was no answer at the flat where Menzies had been when firefighters checked.
Prosecutor Shanti Maguire told the High Court in Glasgow: “No one was traced inside. However, suspected controlled drugs were observed in the bedroom.”
The haul was later found to be one kilogramme of high purity cocaine inside a yellow Amsterdam Airport carrier bag.
Other drug related equipment including scales were also seized.
The court heard the cocaine had a potential value of £355,850.
MacLeod and Menzies were later held by police.
The fire was the second in a spate of similar incidents at the tower block that led to demands for action to protect residents.
Guilty plea
MacLeod was jailed for five years after he pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
MacLeod was joined in the dock by three co-accused who all also pled guilty to drugs charges.
Jamie Irvine, 36, of Perth, was described as a “customer” of Menzies before selling on cocaine himself.
He was jailed for three years and three months after he admitted supplying the drug.
Dean Giffin, 40, also from Perth, was ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work having been caught with £1,400 of cannabis.
And Craig Hill, 32, of Kirkintilloch, will be sentenced at a later date for being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Spate of fires
Fire crews were called to the flats four times between October and the first lockdown, prompting residents to demand new safety measures to keep them safe.
They said they had been living in fear, with at least two of the fires thought to have been started wilfully.
The fire was initially thought to have been caused by a dropped cigarette, but police later confirmed it appeared to have been started deliberately.
An external security firm was installed to patrol the flats 24/7, while other measures including more sprinklers and smoke detectors were also considered.
Extra CCTV was also fitted in March.
