A former fisherman used the insurance payout from his accident damaged boat to set himself up in the drugs trade, a court heard yesterday.
Gavin Buchan, 39, fell into drug use after his Fraserburgh creel vessel was written off and was soon dealing cocaine.
But his enterprise collapsed when a bag of the illicit substance tumbled from his mouth during a conversation with police.
They seized hundreds of pounds worth of cocaine and a significant amount of cash – and made further finds less than eight weeks later.
Buchan appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday where he pled guilty to supplying cocaine and obstructing and assaulting police officers.
He first came to the attention of officers when they spotted a silver Vauxhall Astra parked partially in a bus stop near the Murcar roundabout on the A90 Aberdeen to Ellon road in the early hours of September 22, 2018.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson said: “They pulled up alongside and saw the accused within the passenger seat, smoking what appeared to be controlled drugs.”
The man, along with the car’s driver, were then searched by officers. The court was told a violent struggle followed.
Miss Simpson said: “The accused was struggling to speak and being asked to repeat himself when a small white parcel fell from his mouth.
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“The officer attempted to catch it and the accused bit down on his finger.”
The policeman jabbed Buchan in the shoulder in an attempt to make him relinquish his grip.
Miss Simpson added: “When the accused released it, further similar white packages fell from his mouth.”
The substances, later found to be around £560 of cocaine, were confiscated along with about £1,750 in cash.
Buchan came to the attention of police again on November 9, when police stopped a white van near the Hillside junction of the B999 Tarves road.
After seeing drug paraphernalia within the vehicle, they seized around £1,500 of cocaine.
Buchan’s solicitor Iain Jane said: “He had been the owner of a fishing vessel and towards the end of last year it was involved in an accident which resulted in it being no longer sea-worthy.
“He received a fairly substantial insurance claim of around £7,000 and sold the fishing licence for £4,500.
“His grandfather died around that time and he relapsed back into drug use.
“This was a horrible combination of grief, challenging circumstances and, unfortunately, him having readily available disposable income.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin deferred sentence on Buchan, of Kirkton Gardens in Fraserburgh, until next month.
He was released on bail.