Drugs courier caught transporting cocaine worth £405,000

Manwas paid £300 to ferry illicit substance

An man who accepted £300 to drive between two cities was caught transporting excessively pure cocaine worth more than £400,000, a court heard yesterday.

Unemployed Ryan Stewart, 41, was detained after detectives received a tipoff that he was ferrying drugs between Glasgow and Dundee.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard officers detained Stewart after seeing his vehicle driving on Dundee’s Kingsway West Road at 3.45pm on March 7 2017.

After Stewart stopped at the car park of a nearby Beefeater restaurant, Police Scotland constables found a red carrier bag underneath the driver’s seat which contained a “fractured block” of cocaine.

Prosecution lawyer Maryam Labaki told the court: “The weight of the cocaine was 1,014.21 grams.

“On analysis the cocaine was found to have a purity of 80%.

“The STOP unit opinion is that the purity of the cocaine is in excess of what would normally be recovered at street level which is around 10%

“Should the 80% purity cocaine be cut to the average purity of 10% it could realise 8,113.6 grams which, if sold at £50 per gram, would have a maximum illicit value of £405,684.”

The story emerged after Stewart, of Dundee, pleaded guilty to being involved in the supply of cocaine on March 7 2017 before judge Lady Scott.

Ms Labaki said Mr Stewart was the only person in the car at the time of his detention. He was taken to Dundee’s West Bell Street for interview.

The lawyer added: “During the interview he admitted to being paid £300 to act as a courier.”

Defence solicitor advocate Chris Fyffe said his client accepted responsibility for his actions.

He added: “He is a 41-year-old man who lives with his partner of nine years. There are no children.

“He has completely accepted full responsibility for his actions.”

Judge Lady Scott deferred sentence on Stewart for the court to obtain reports about his character.

He will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on November 3.

Should the 80% purity cocaine be cut to the average purity of 10% it could realise 8,113.6 grams which, if sold at £50 per gram, would havea maximum illicit value of £405,684. MARYAM LABAKI