A Blairgowrie teenager with a previously unblemished record has been given a custodial sentence after more than £5,000 worth of cannabis resin was found in his bedroom.
Police raided Christopher Mullen’s home and discovered 1.8kg of the drug hidden in various places around his room.
Despite his protestations that he was only holding the substance for someone else, he admitted being concerned in its supply from his parents’ Ferguson Park home on July 1 last year.
Mullen (19) was sentenced to 14 months’ detention.
Depute fiscal John Malpass said: ”Confidential information was received by Tayside Police that he was involved in the supplying of cannabis and a search warrant was granted. No person was at home when the police went there. The search was carried out and cannabis resin was found.
”The accused’s mother and stepfather attended at the house and the police were already there. They denied any knowledge of the cannabis resin and indicated that where the drugs were found was used exclusively by the accused.
”The accused was detained later that evening. He stated to police that he had used cannabis, having started smoking it six months previously, and admitted the drugs which had been found in his furniture and possession were his.
”He also admitted that he was storing the drugs for an unnamed third party and in the opinion of drug squad officers the quantity recovered would be in excess of what would normally be considered for personal use, hence the charge.”
Mullen’s solicitor Paul Ralph, said: ”It gives a measure of the sophistication of what he was up to that he had five separate hiding places for these items, four of them in his boots and one in the drawer, giving himself many more chances of them being discovered.”
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: ”It is accepted in this case it was a safe house for the cannabis and it may be that you were imposed upon because you had run up debt.
”The unfortunate thing is that any assistance that folk on the periphery of the drugs scene give to those who really are heavily involved means, at the end of the day, they quite often avoid what should be rightfully coming their way and continue to ply their trade, making profit on what is ultimately other people’s misery.
”I say that equally with regard to cannabis resin because there appear to be links with regard to people’s mental health with sustained use of cannabis resin and there is always the possibility if they have started taking cannabis, they’ll be persuaded to take something more serious.
”It’s with some regret that I consider, having regard to the amount of the drug and its value, that I don’t have any other option but to impose a sentence of detention on you.”