A woman started dealing cocaine to pay off a drugs debt she inherited from her brother, a court has heard.
Police searching Maria Stewart’s Beauly home found white powder, scales, ziplock bags, mobile phones and cash.
Her solicitor told the court the single mum turned to dealing to make amends for the historic drugs debt.
Stewart, 30, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing having previously admitted a single charge of being concerned in the supplying of the class A drug.
The court heard that police had executed a search warrant at her Station Road home on January 22 last year.
Drug-dealing paraphernalia seized
“Police have entered the property and seized a variety of paraphernalia,” fiscal depute Emma MacEwan said.
Sheriff Gary Aitken was told that this included ziplock bags, working scales, mobile phones and cash as well as a notepad containing a “tick list”.
A box of white powder was also recovered that was later confirmed to be 13.1 grams of cocaine.
During the hearing, Ms MacEwan served Stewart with papers under proceeds of crime legislation and made a motion for a confiscation order.
Dealer’s ‘genuine contrition’
Speaking on behalf of his client, solicitor Rory Gowans said she had shown “genuine contrition” about her involvement.
He said: “During an interview with police she indicated that she had inherited a drug debt from her brother and she dealt cocaine to pay the debt.”
Sheriff Aitken told her: “There are only two options here – a considerable amount of unpaid work or the jail.”
He said he would defer sentence to next month “so that she can make whatever arrangements she considers appropriate”.