Jailed after £40k pills found in cans
A drug dealer who tried to flood the streets with £40,000 worth of ecstasy has been caged for 20 months.
Gary Millan, 27, imported the dance drug pills, also known as MDMA, from Belgium, stashed inside coffee cans.
However he was snared after a sur veillance operation was mounted at his home.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard Millan had arranged to have the drugs posted to Coventry, in the West Midlands, before being forwarded via Parcelforce to a property in Aurs Drive, Barrhead, for him to collect.
However, undercover officers from the National Crime Agency delivered the parcel to his house and lay in wait to watch what he did with thousands of ecstasy tablets labelled with iPhone X and Sprite motifs.
Millan pleaded guilty to charges of being concerned in the importation, supply and sale of controlled drugs between May 16 and May 22 last year.
Sentencing had been deferred until the court had obtained background reports prior to handing him his punishment.
Defence agent Terry Gallanagh said his client had accepted responsibilty for the offence by pleading guilty in advance of a trial.
He also urged the court to hand Millan a community based disposal as his client would be willing to accede to the terms of a punishment order imposed by the court such as supervision, unpaid work and restriction of liberty.
However Sheriff Frances McCartney said there was only one appropriate disposal given the gravity of the offence.
She said: “This is a very serious charge.
“There were very unusual personal circumstances regarding the nature of the charge which makes it perfectly clear there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.
“I will there impose a sentence of 20 months in custody.”
Family members who had gathered at court in support of Millan, from Aurs Drive, Barrhead, were left shocked as he was sentenced to imprisonment.
Following the drugs recovery, NCA senior investigating officer John McGowan said: “If sold on the streets of Scotland, the drugs would have had an estimated value of around £40,000.
“Working with our law enforcement partners, we are determined to do all we can to disrupt the criminal networks involved in drug importation and supply.”