Kirkcaldy woman in heroin dealing operation is jailed

A Fife woman has been jailed for four years and four months for being involved in a drug dealing operation.

Police found Frances McQuade half-naked and holding a large bag of heroin when they entered a Kirkcaldy industrial unit.

McQuade, 47, was seen trying to conceal the drugs.

The officers had detained her partner outside, just moments earlier.

McQuade, of Dunnikier Road, Kirkcaldy, admitted being involved in the supply of diamorphine on February 23 at CM Maintenance, Mitchelston Industrial Estate, Kirkcaldy, and elsewhere.

Her guilty plea came on the seventh day of a trial at Dunfemline Sheriff Court last month.

Sheriff Charles MacNair called for reports and McQuade has now been jailed for 52 months, backdated to December 6.

McQuade had claimed she was involved in starting a maintenance and repair business from the unit with her boyfriend and said she had “panicked” when police arrived that night.

She said she had found the bags of drugs lying on the floor but had no idea how they had got there and claimed she was angry because she was a former heroin addict and it was putting temptation in her way.

However, she also admitted she had used some of the heroin before the police arrived.

The trial heard police found McQuade “in a state of undress” when they went into the office.

Defence solicitor Peter Robertson asked McQuade why she had her trousers and underwear pulled down and was holding a bag of heroin.

McQuade replied: “I thought, ‘I’m going to get the blame for all this’.

“I started to pick things up and throw them about.”

Mr Robertson said: “The suggestion was that you were going to put the drugs in your person.”

McQuade replied: “No”.