A man has been jailed after driving cocaine and heroin from England to Aberdeen for an organised crime gang that threatened his mum.
Tatenda Musanhu acted as a courier, delivering packages of drugs from the Midlands up to Aberdeen.
The 25-year-old and his partner received “increasingly threatening” phone calls from an organised crime group that demonstrated they knew exactly where his mother lived.
Forced to deliver the drugs to the Granite City, Musanhu was twice caught by police inside the homes of vulnerable people who had been cuckooed, along with cash and drugs.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that police, on January 31, received intelligence that individuals from an organised crime group known as “Rocky”, were using a flat on Berryden Road.
Officers attended to check on the occupant’s welfare and could hear males inside.
‘It’s a win-win for these people. It always is’
Entry was forced and Musanhu was found in the living room along with another man.
The police found 101.17g of cocaine, worth up to £10,300, in the property, along with £670 in cash 11g of heroin worth £550.
Following that incident, Musanhu was released on bail with a condition not to return to Scotland other than for court.
But on March 13, police received intelligence that individuals connected to organised crime groups known as “Marlo” and “Rocky”, were using an address on School Drive for the sale and supply of drugs.
Officers attended to check on the occupant, forced entry and found Musanhu and another male inside.
Police recovered £2,005 in cash from the property, along with 7.46g of cocaine worth up to £740.
Ms Martin told the court the Crown did not have any specific information as to Musanhu’s specific role in the chain of supply.
However, she said the addresses were the homes of vulnerable individuals who appeared to have been cuckooed.
Musanhu, of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin on January 31, being concerned in the supply of cocaine again on March 13 and breaching a bail condition.
Defence agent Iain Hingston said: “The position he finds himself in is, frankly, the classic MO of those involved in organised crime groups.
‘Foot soldier’
“He’s not a member of these groups.
“It’s a win-win for these people. It always is.”
Mr Hingston outlined that either the drugs get through, or if the courier is caught, they are bailed as they have no record and are then threatened.
He said the group made a “series of phone calls” to Musanhu and his partner which became “increasingly threatening”, insisting he owed the group money.
Reading out one message his client was sent, Mr Hingston said: “If you don’t, we can just go to your mum’s.”
When Musanhu suggested the group did not know where his mum lived, they demonstrated that they did.
Describing his client as a “foot soldier”, Mr Hingston went on: “If there are people cuckooing vulnerable individuals, it’s not him.
“All he ever wanted to do was work, but his status was such that it was very, very difficult to get jobs.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Musanhu: “By becoming involved in the way you did, you contributed to the supply of class A drugs in Aberdeen with all of the negative impacts which that activity has on individuals, families and communities here.”
He jailed Musanhu for 32 months and granted a confiscation order for the £2,005 recovered.
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