Drug dealer is jailed for 20 months

Published 16 Jun 2010 13:00

A COCAINE dealer who was found with a stash of the Class A Drug worth more than £5000 was jailed for 20 months at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Sheriff W Gilchrist told Liam McIntyre (21) that despite the plea by his defence solicitor, there was in reality no other option open to him other than a custodial sentence, telling McIntyre that his actions "destroyed lives".

McIntyre, of Ashley Terrace, Alloa, previously admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine between 20 February and 20 August last year at Branshill Park in Sauchie and elsewhere.

Fiscal depute Jim Graham told the court that police searched the Branshill Park address and found three bags of white powder, a block of white powder, scales, a spoon and a knife with traces of white powder.

McIntyre wasn't at the address when police carried out the search but was found elsewhere and told officers that the drugs they found belonged to him, that he was involved in the supply of cocaine and had been for some time.

He also said that he acted as a courier in the Alloa and Kincardine areas, and thereafter began to obtain cocaine for the purpose of supplying to others and sold the drugs from the Sauchie address and also from Arns Grove in Alloa as well as in pubs and clubs in the town.

Mr Graham went on to say that the 112 gramme half bar of cocaine recovered by officers, if sold in gramme deals, would be worth £5150 and if sold in larger quantities would be worth less.

The three individual bags, which were the remains of a larger amount, would have a total value of £550.

Defence solicitor George More said that McIntyre had pled guilty at an early stage and that when he was detained by police officers had told them absolutely everything about his dealing with drugs.

Mr More went on, "He immediately stopped his involvement with drugs and what he was doing as being caught came as a real shock to the system.

"It also came as a disappointment to friends and family, and his family told him if he ever got involved with drugs again they wouldn't talk to him

"My client got in with the wrong crowd but isn't involved with these people any more.

"He lost his job and lost everything as a result of his arrest but has managed to get his life back together again and has been working for the last three or four months.

"If he is sent to jail it will destroy his life and his family will also be affected. He is very keen to right the wrong he has done and does not want to be involved with drug again."

However, Sheriff William Gilchrist said that he was satisfied a custodial sentence was the only option saying, "I appreciate that a custodial sentence will have a very serious impact on you, but in reality Class A drugs destroy the lives of those you deal to, and if you deal Class A drugs you must expect a custodial sentence, particularly since it was a substantial amount over a period of time.

"My starting point would have been two and a half years but because of the early plea this will be reduced to 20 months."

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