Police caught two drug dealers red-handed during a successful surveillance operation in Dundee.
They found Stephen Wilson and John McMahon in possession of £49,000 worth of heroin and nearly £5,000 in cash.
The High Court at Livingston heard that Wilson, 41, pled guilty in June this year and McMahon, 25, of Carluke, North Lanarkshire, was found guilty after trial last month.
Both were convicted of being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug in Dundee on June 12 this year.
Wilson, who admitted previous convictions for drug offences, was jailed for 54 months and McMahon, who had a record for violence, was sentenced to four years in prison.
The court was told that the pair were snared as part of a three-month police surveillance operation on Wilson.
Officers watched him leave his home in Kinghorne Court, carrying a white JD Sports bag and take a taxi to the rear of the Ice Arena, where he made calls on his mobile phone, before a silver Peugeot 207 driven by McMahon entered the car park.
Wilson got into the car and, as the vehicle drove off, two other officers saw Wilson bending down and reaching under the passenger seat.
Police stopped the car and found the bag containing £4,990 in the open front glove box and a brown taped package under the front passenger seat.
When analysed the package was found to contain 490 grams of compressed brown powder which contained 14% diamorphine (heroin) by weight.
Ronnie Renucci, defending, revealed that Wilson had a previous conviction for dealing in heroin.
He said: “He’d been told that because there was a loss involved in that he still owed money.
“He managed to avoid involvement for some time but eventually those with whom he’d become involved before began to put pressure on him, saying he still owed them money for losses.
“It was suggested to him he was to deliver a package containing drugs and money to an address in Dundee.
“He accepts that although he felt under some pressure, ultimately it was his choice to become involved and he foolishly agreed to do this.”
Jack Brown, defending McMahon, said his client still maintained his innocence but accepted the majority verdict of the jury.
Temporary judge John Beckett said: “This was a substantial consignment of a drug which is notorious for the harm and misery it causes.”