A pair of drug dealers involved in a £142,000 cocaine operation from a Dundee house have been locked up.
Almost a kilogram of the high-purity Class A drug was discovered after police forced their way into Shaun Petrie’s home.
He and repeat offender Darren Towns admitted being involved in supplying the drug, discovered with various bags and scales in a raid on an Alloway Place property.
A cash box, a safe, an air soft rifle and crossbows were also discovered by officers.
Petrie and Towns, both 35, returned to Dundee Sheriff Court for sentencing, having previously been remanded in custody.
Their solicitors said the pair had accrued drug debts, with Petrie blaming his addiction to cocaine for the breakdown of a long-term relationship.
Police raid
The court was told how police obtained a search warrant for the property in March 2022 and the hoard of items were discovered.
A large number of them had traces of – or bags containing – white powder, later revealed to be cocaine.
Adulterants were also discovered.
Prosecutor Andrew Harding said previously how no criminality was associated with the weapons but the “context was deemed significant”.
In his assessment, Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith said the rifle could have given the impression of a “true gun” in order to deter the dealers being robbed.
The drugs were found to have a purity of around 80% with a maximum potential street value of £142,710.
Sentencing
Petrie, of Alloway Place and Towns, of Mars Gardens in Wormit, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine on March 25 2022 at an address on Alloway Place.
Petrie’s lawyer Gary McIlravey said: “He knows he’s facing a custodial sentence.
“He became involved for a short period, having accrued a drug debt.
“He seems to have reinvented himself and removed himself from that arena.”
At an earlier hearing, Mr McIlravey presented a letter from Petrie’s employer who described him as a “trustworthy” individual.
This prompted Sheriff Niven-Smith to respond: “He’s not trustworthy, he’s a drug dealer.”
Mr McIlravey said the air soft rifle belonged to Petrie’s brother and the crossbow was untouched since his family moved house a decade earlier.
Doug McConnell, for Towns, said his client had been in “good employment” before becoming “mired” in drugs misuse.
Sheriff Niven-Smith told the pair: “I shall proceed on the basis that you performed a lesser role, perhaps through an element of exploitation and naivety.”
Petrie was sentenced to a total of 34 months in prison with Towns – who was also sentenced for a disqualified driving offence – jailed for three years and 10 months.
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