Dealer had £4k of drugs

A drug dealer caught with street valium worth £4000 in his car has been jailed for nearly two years.

Darren Mcgowan was stopped by police officers for a routine check.

Not only did they seize 7928 tablets, the officers also found that he was a disqualified driver, having been banned for life in 2007.

Mcgowan, 37, of Dalzieltower, Motherwell, was jailed for 22 months at Hamilton Sheriff Court and given another five-year ban.

He admitted driving while disqualified and having etizolam with intent to supply others in Shields Court, Motherwell, on September 26.

Aga Mathieson, prosecuting, said electronic scales and other items associated with drug dealing were also found in the car.

Mcgowan was given bail after an initial court appearance, but committed further driving offences in the Muirhouse area of

Motherwell on November 27.

He admitted driving dangerously while disqualified and unfit through drink or drugs on that occasion.

The fiscal said police officers saw him speed through a red light at 11am, causing other drivers to swerve to avoid crashing into his vehicle.

When arrested, the officers noted Mcgowan’s eyes were glazed and he was clearly under the influence of something.

Mcgowan’s record includes an 18-month jail stretch imposed at Inverness Sheriff Court in 2017 for being concerned in the supply of heroin and diazepam.

Defence agent Margaret Chalmers said he has struggled for years with a valium addiction.

She told the court:“he was doing exceptionally well at an addiction centre in Bellshill, but had a relapse after losing contact with his drug worker during lockdown.”

Sentence was taken back to November 30 as Mcgowan has been in custody since then.