A drug dealer from Liverpool who came to Inverness to sell drugs in order to pay off his own drug debt has been jailed for three years.
Liam Southart, 22, was snared by police as he tried to sell hundreds of pounds worth of crack cocaine and heroin in May 2021.
Southart, of Meadow Row, Runcorn, Castlefields, actually increased his drugs debt because of his arrest, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
He was caught again after intelligence received by police led to a raid on two Inverness houses on December 9, 2021.
The court heard that the first to be raided was in Evan Barron Road – a property occupied by 40-year-old Lee Clarke.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir told Sheriff Gary Aitken that entry was forced and two other men, including Clarke were inside.
‘He is both dealer and victim’
Officers found £490 and wraps of drugs in Southart’s possession as well as a mobile phone, which had text messages concerning the supply of drugs.
Next, the Oldtown Road home of a third man, 26-year-old Jordan Macdonald was searched and scales and bags of drugs were found, Mr Weir explained.
He added that, in total, street values of £560 worth of cocaine and £1,220 worth of heroin were recovered.
Southart pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and sentencing had been deferred for reports to be produced.
His solicitor advocate Neil Wilson said that his client was currently serving a 40-month sentence in England for similar offences.
“In an attempt to pay off a drugs debt of between £3,500 and £4,000, he came to Inverness after being given drugs to sell. He was a shopkeeper and then he was caught.
“The drugs or the money was never his. Having been caught, he was further in debt and the other case was another attempt to pay off the bigger debt. He is both dealer and victim,” Mr Wilson told the court.
‘If you do it again, you are facing a minimum seven years in jail’
Sheriff Aitken jailed Southart for a total of 36 months to start immediately.
He told him: “You are building a collection of drugs offences. If you do it again, you are facing a minimum seven years in jail”.
Macdonald, who also admitted being concerned in the supply of drugs, had his sentence further deferred until July 25 for a drug treatment and testing order.
Clarke, who pleaded guilty to allowing his house to be used to sell drugs, was told to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work and be under two years of social work supervision.
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