A drug dealer caught with almost £10,000 worth of contraband between Dundee and Arbroath has avoided imprisonment.
Shaun Cooper, 32, was caught shifting the illicit haul in a white van on the A92.
Cooper, formerly of Gourdie Street in Dundee, was pulled over by police, acting on received intelligence, outside Muirdrum on August 23 2021.
He admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis between August 2020 and 2021.
Asda bag of weed
At a hearing in December, depute fiscal Lora Aspolotova told the court: “The accused told officers there was a quantity of weed in the van.
“An Asda bag was recovered from the back of the van containing cannabis.
“It was estimated to have an illicit value of £9,710.”
She said a later search of Cooper’s Dundee property uncovered 1.2kg of cannabis with an estimated street value of £12,060.
£31,080 of cash was found, as well as mobile phone messages suggesting drug supply activity.
‘Relief’ to be caught by police
Sentencing had been deferred for reports and first offender Cooper had been warned he could be jailed.
However, when he returned to the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court, Cooper was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the next two years.
This was discounted from the maximum unpaid work sentence of 300 hours as he pled guilty at the first opportunity.
His solicitor John Boyle said matters for his client had “very quickly spiralled out of Mr Cooper’s control.”
“He was placed in a position he felt he couldn’t get himself out of.
“He expressed to me an almost sense of relief when he was caught by police.
“It’s not lost on him, the significance of these matters.”
Custody warning
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown was presented with a character reference and correspondence from Cooper’s partner.
She commended Cooper for distancing himself from people he had been surrounding himself with and relocating to Perthshire.
Sentencing, she said: “Mr Cooper, I’ve taken into account what’s been said on your behalf.
“You’ve been very open and honest in terms of the report.
“Since the offence, you’ve very much turned your life around.
“If you don’t do your unpaid work, if you breach your community payback order, you can expect a custodial sentence.”
The sheriff also granted forfeiture of various items seized by police.
A confiscation hearing relating to the cash was fixed for April 11.
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