Mail order drug dealer snared by Post Office worker with first class sense of smell

By Kathryn Wylie

July 27 2022, 6:00 am

Brian Hetherington leaving Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

A mail order drug dealer was snared by diligent Post Office staff who noticed the smell of cannabis coming from parcels and called in the police.

Brian Hetherington tried to post multiple packages of drugs from his local Post Office branch after turning to dealing to tackle spiralling debts, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.

Officers first executed a search warrant at the 30-year-old’s Westhill home in August 2019, just days after they found Hetherington unconscious and in possession of a host of illicit drugs in Aberdeen city centre.

Nine months later he was snared again after trying to post cannabis from a post office counter.

Found unconscious with drugs

Fiscal depute Dylan Middleton told the court Hetherington had ketamine worth up to £440 and MDMA worth up to £280 in his possession as paramedics searched him for identification after finding him unconscious on Belmont Street.

“A drug search warrant was thereafter executed at his home address in Westhill on August 5, 2019,” the fiscal said.

“In the course of the search officers found various bags within the accused’s bedroom which contained a total of 182 MDMA tablets.

“These had a potential street value of £905 and £1,810.

“They also found a bag containing a crystalline substance which contained MDMA. It weighed 18.94 grams and had a potential street value of between £720 and £1,080.”

After these discoveries, Hetherington was released from Kittybrewster Police station pending further investigation.

But nine months on he came to the attention of police again after post office staff suspected him of sending the illegal packages through the mail.

The fiscal added: “At 3.10pm on May 20, last year the accused attended at the Post Office and passed over parcels for delivery to an employee there.

“The employee noticed that the packages smelled strongly of cannabis and reported her suspicions to the police.

“At 4.53pm the same day he returned and passed over further packages for delivery. Given the earlier concerns about the other packages these were also put aside until police could attend.

“At 2pm the following day officers seized the packages from the Post Office and they were submitted for forensic analysis and found to contain ketamine, diazepam and cannabis.”

Found cash and drugs worth £9,500

One envelope from the Post Office contained 1.04 grams of ketamine with a street value of up to £40. Another contained 77.07 grams of cannabis which could fetch up to £965 on the street.

Officers immediately went on to Hetherington’s home and found cash totalling £6,930 as well as self-seal bags, scales and Post Officers receipts.

They also found almost 35g of ketamine, with a potential street value of £1,570, packed in different parcels and hidden in his bedroom.

Hetherington admitted being concerned in the supply of ketamine, ecstasy and mephedrone, as well as the possession of gabapentinoids.

‘He had lost a good job’

Defence agent Neil McRobert argued “custody would be devastating” for the mature Open University student and said his client had taken steps to get his life back on track of late.

“Several years ago he was in well-paid employment,” he said. “He worked in IT as an assistant analyst. That employment was lost but he still had significant outgoings.

“In the following period, he began using substances more and more frequently.

“It’s his position that some of the drugs recovered were that he was the user of. But he has confirmed he did sell drugs and that was to address the spiralling debts he had, while also buying some for his own use. There was a commercial element and there was financial gain.”