A pair of Dundee drug dealers are awaiting their fate after police found cocaine and cash worth thousands of pounds in a safe in a city flat.
Steven Barnie and Raymond Graham appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court to admit being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
Police seized drugs, cash, dealing paraphernalia and mobile phones which proved their illegal trade after swooping on Graham’s Douglas Road home.
Both 33-year-olds have previous convictions for drug misuse.
Search warrant
Fiscal depute Christine Allan told the court officers arrived at Graham’s home at 8.10am on July 26 in 2021.
The officers had gained confidential intelligence drugs were being dealt from the property and a warrant was obtained.
Both men were unemployed at the time.
However, after forcing their way in, police found Barnie alone in the living room.
He was detained and the property was searched.
Among the items seized were mobile phones, a lock knife, drugs and paraphernalia.
In the safe, officers found a safe which contained more than £2,000 in cash and more cocaine and cannabis.
Evidence of drug prices and travel documents belonging to Graham were also inside.
When the mobile phones were analysed, they showed Barnie and Graham had been working together to supply drugs.
The cannabis was valued at £460 and the cocaine was believed to be worth between £1,120 and £1,750.
Mitgation
Barnie, of Burnside Court in Dundee, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine between July 7 and 26 2021.
Graham, of Douglas Road, admitted being concerned in its supply from May 7 until July 26 the same year.
Both men pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class B cannabis between May and July 2021.
Appearing for Barnie, solicitor Anika Jethwa explained her client had been jailed after a major drugs bust in Dundee.
Barnie was sentenced to three years behind bars at the High Court in Glasgow for being concerned in the supply of heroin.
He was one of a gang of 11 dealers sentenced to a total of 42 years after being concerned in supplying drugs worth around £1 million.
Ms Jethwa said: “He was released on home detention. He managed to obtain various jobs.
“His mental health declined. He had a falling out with his family.
“He started using cannabis. I think it’s fair to say he was clearly someone who was trying to source cannabis.
“He tells me thereafter that he be came involved in the supply of Class A drugs.
“The locus is the home of the co-accused. My client has never lived there.”
Ms Jethwa said her client never had access to the safe and was unaware of what was inside.
She accepted that of the cocaine found, 36.79 grammes were outside the safe and 3.68 grammes were inside.
Theo Finlay, who appeared for Graham, explained his client also had a previous conviction for misusing drugs in 2013.
“The situation for him is he was abusing cocaine and cannabis.
“He has become involved in low-level supply to finance his abuse of both drugs.
“He suffered a stroke in 2014.
“He accepts he’s very much on the threshold of custody.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentencing until August 14 and ordered reports.
He fixed a confiscation hearing to take place a week earlier.
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