A drug dealer who was caught with £18,500 worth of cannabis has been jailed for three years.
Michael Macrae, who has a previous conviction for drug dealing, played “a significant role” in the illegal trade, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
The 33-year-old previously admitted two charges of being concerned in the supply of the Class B drug on May 9 last year.
Macrae was in his car in the Hilton housing estate when police, who had intelligence that he was involved in dealing drugs, spotted him.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said: “Officers stopped the vehicle but he sprinted away from them with a rucksack.
“Police gave chase and traced him to the rear garden of a property in Balloan Road, but he was no longer in possession of the rucksack. It was located in a nearby garden and contained five packages of herbal substance.”
Jars of cannabis found in freezer
Mr Weir added that Macrae’s DNA was later found on the bag. His vehicle was also searched and packaging was found in the footwell, similar to that in the rucksack.
A subsequent search of his then house in Evan Barron Road revealed several jars of herbal substance in a freezer and cupboards.
Mr Weir said the maximum street value was £18,500.
Macrae, of Ashie Road, Inverness, has just become a dad to a baby girl, the court was told.
His solicitor, Marc Dickson said: “He has used cannabis since his early teens. He had a troubled upbringing and he used cannabis to self-medicate his depression and anxiety.
“He was supplying to like-minded people. He accepts he is the author of his own misfortune and is in a precarious position today.”
Jailing Macrae for three years, Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald told him: “You knew what you were doing and you also knew the risks.”