A drugs mule who tried to flood Tayside with thousands of pounds worth of crack cocaine wept in the dock as he was jailed for two years.
Driver Ali Danesh and his partner-in-crime Gerald Duffus had bagfuls of the class A substance in their car when they were pulled over by police on the A90, near Inchture.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that Danesh had agreed to transport the drugs to raise money for his sick mum’s medical bills at home in Iran.
He was found guilty following a trial on his 33rd birthday in March.
Returning to court for sentencing, Sheriff William Wood told him the offence merited a “robust custodial sentence”.
HGV training
Danesh, a former Uber Eats driver from Birmingham, was convicted of being involved in the supply of cocaine on April 26 2021, the day his Toyota iQ was stopped by police.
He was further found guilty of being concerned in supply of cannabis on various occasions between January 19 2020 and April 26, 2021.
He also pled guilty to failing to provide a blood sample to investigators, who suspected him of drink-driving.
His solicitor Billy Somerville said: “He does have ongoing issues with drugs.”
The court heard Danesh was trying to raise money for his mother’s medical bills.
Mr Somerville said: “If he had been younger, he would have been suitable for rehabilitation in the community.
“This is someone who is now doing well and looking forward to a career as an HGV lorry driver.
“There is an alternative to custody and I would ask the court to consider it.”
‘You need to be punished’
Danesh broke down and placed his head in his hands when GeoAmey officers were summoned to the court – an indication of what was to come.
Sheriff Wood told him: “These are serious charges.
“While I’ve listened to all that’s been said on your behalf, there’s no escaping the fact that the car that was used was yours and these packages were found in the rear of the vehicle.
“The threshold for a custodial sentence has been reached.
“I accept that you have been of good character since but the public requires to be protected and you need to be punished.”
Danesh, of Bampfylde Place, Birmingham, was jailed for 28 months and disqualified from driving for 26 months.
Co-accused jailed
In April, father-of-four Gerald Duffus was jailed for four years.
The 26-year-old had been found guilty of dealing cocaine over a longer, 15-and-a-half month period.
He was also caught with a lock knife in the car.
The trial heard the total value of the drugs recovered was more than £7,400.
Duffus had claimed he was not aware what he had got himself into.
He said tell-tale text messages found on a burner phone that linked him to prolonged dealing activity may have been put there by the phone’s previous owner.
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