A sheriff has slammed an Inverness mum’s “catastrophic mistake” of selling drugs during the Covid lockdown and risking her children being taken into care.
Chelsea Miller, 27, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis between November 2021 and June 2023.
She was charged after a police raid on a house in Evan Barron Road, Inverness, on September 4 this year.
Officers seized weighing scales and a quantity of cannabis at the time, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
A tearful Miller appeared in the dock for sentencing on Tuesday – with her lawyer insisting his client was “remorseful” – and she was told to save up to pay a possible fine.
The day that Inverness mum-of-two Chelsea Miller was arrested for selling cannabis
Speaking about the police raid, fiscal depute Alison Young told the court: “A mobile phone was found and messages on it indicated drugs were being sold.
“Four bags of herbal material marked ‘police bag’ were also discovered.”
Mrs Young said they contained over 56g of the Class B drug cannabis and had a maximum street value of £620.
“A man was arrested at the same time,” Mrs Young added.
Miller’s defence solicitor David Patterson told the court that the man – not her client – “had the bright idea to sell cannabis during the Covid lockdown.
“As far as this enterprise was concerned, her involvement was at the lower end of the scale.
“She had intended to try and get him to stop. She is remorseful and accepts responsibility, knowing what she was doing was wrong.
“It is unlikely we will see her in court again,” Mr Patterson said.
Inverness mum risked kids being taken into care over Evan Barron Road police raid’s cannabis discovery
Sheriff Gary Aitken ordered the disgraced mother-of-two to stay out of trouble for three months and save up to pay a potential fine.
He told Miller, of Ashton Road, Inverness: “I can’t imagine what was going through your mind during lockdown that starting a criminal enterprise was a sensible idea.
“You have put yourself in an exceptionally difficult position. If you are not there to care for your children, then they would have to go into the care system.
“But I am told that you do not intend to repeat such a catastrophic mistake.
“So I will defer sentence for three months, which will enable you to get your financial situation in order so that you could make payments towards a financial penalty, which may be the outcome.”
Miller will return to the dock on February 29 next year, when she will learn of her punishment.
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