A police intelligence operation last October netted a drugs haul worth up to £140,000 being brought from the Liverpool area to the Highlands.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard yesterday that on October 17 last year, officers received information that a specific car was travelling to Scotland and may contain controlled drugs.
It was being driven by Francis Donohue and when he stopped for a break at a Highland cafe, constables pounced.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told Sheriff Kevin Veal that a constable was in a police vehicle on the A9 near to Bruar and looking out for the car.
He said: “When she saw it travelling north she began to follow it. It stopped on the A889 Dalwhinnie to Laggan road at The Dalwhinnie Loch Ericht Hotel.
“He tried to leave through a rear door, but found this was locked and left the restaurant where he was approached by the first constable.
“He told the officer: ‘There’s a bag in the boot; I don’t know what’s in it’.”
Mr Urquhart said a search revealed a large bag in the boot containing several vacuum packed bags of cannabis.
Donohue, 54, was also searched and a piece of paper on which was written IV1 1FF was written.
“This post code relates to Stadium Road, Inverness. Presumably this was where the drugs were to be handed over to a contact.”
The 10 heat-sealed bags of cannabis, nine each weighing approximately 1kg and another at half a kilo.
“In the opinion of a police drugs expert these drugs had an ‘as seen’ wholesale value of about £38,000 and had a potential maximum retail value of between £93,700 and £140550.” Mr Urquhart added.
Defending, David Holmes said his client was out of work, ran up debts and agreed to deliver the package to clear the debt.
Sheriff Veal remanded Donohue in custody, telling him: “I will withdraw bail because a prison sentence of some significant level will be inevitable in view of the value here.”
Donohue of St Matthews Grove, St Helens, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and will be sentenced on June 2.
