Epidemic of cocaine swamping Kirkcaldy

Sheriff jails dealer Jack Walker, telling him drug is ‘doing harm’ to Fife town

A sheriff has warned cocaine use in Kirkcaldy is at “epidemic proportions”.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist made the comments as he sentenced dealer Jack Walker to three years and eight months after he admitted being concerned in the supply of the class A drug.

Last night drugs workers said they were seeing more people seeking help for cocaine use, in Kirkcaldy and across Fife.

It comes after police revealed they seized £360,000 worth of drugs in the town in the first half of this year.

Leven man Walker, who based his murky business at an address in Melrose Crescent, Kirkcaldy, was caught with £35,000 worth of cocaine in his possession, as well as a quantity of amphetamine.

Jailing him, Sheriff Gilchrist said: “It is known in the judiciary that cocaine use in Kirkcaldy is at epidemic proportions. “It is doing harm to Kirkcaldy.” Gareth Balmer, Addaction Fife project manager, said cocaine users could still function and hold down jobs but they were running the risk of mental health and heart problems .

He added: “If they arrest one dealer, somebody will replace him very quickly because at the end of the day there is a lot of money to be made.”

I’m not keen on the word epidemic but there is definitely an increase in people presenting and asking for help with cocaine use

Kirkcaldy is in the grip of a cocaine “epidemic”, a sheriff has warned.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist said the town was being “harmed” by widespread use of the class A drug.

He made the comments at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court as he jailed cocaine dealer Jack Walker for three years and eight months after he admitted being concerned in the supply of the drug.

It comes a fortnight after police revealed they had seized £360,000 worth of drugs in the town since December. Officers have also warned of a rising tide of powerful crack cocaine in Kirkcaldy.

Last night the support service Addaction Fife said it was dealing with an increasing number of people seeking help for cocaine use from across the region and the latest conviction was unlikely to have much of an impact on the supply chain.

Walker was found to have been supplying the substance from an address on Melrose Crescent, Kirkcaldy.

He was caught with £35,000 worth of cocaine in his possession, as well as a quantity of amphetamine.

The 24-year-old, of Cedar Avenue, Leven, pleaded guilty on indictment to two charges of being concerned in the supply of drugs between June 1 and July 5 last year.

Solicitor Christine Hagan said her client knew he was facing a prison sentence, adding: “This was not a sophisticated offence. “It was detected very swiftly by police.” Sheriff Gilchrist jailed Walker for three years and eight months, reduced from four years for his guilty plea.

He said: “It is known in the judiciary that cocaine use in Kirkcaldy is at epidemic proportions. “It is doing harm to Kirkcaldy. “It is an evil trade and you were preying on the weakness of others.”

Gareth Balmer, project manager at Leven-based Addaction Fife, said: “I’m not keen on the word epidemic but there is definitely an increase in people presenting and asking for help with cocaine use.

“However, I wouldn’t single Kirkcaldy out because we are seeing it across Fife and, speaking to colleagues, this is something which is happening across Scotland at the moment.”

Mr Balmer said Walker’s conviction was unlikely to disrupt the supply chain for long.

“It doesn’t really make that much of a difference,” he said. “If they arrest one dealer, somebody will replace him very quickly because at the end of the day there is a lot of money to be made.”

He added: “Cocaine users can be functional and hold down jobs, until they start having mental health problems or heart problems. If someone is worried about their own or someone else’s cocaine use, they should ask for help.”

Recent figures from the Scottish Drug Misuse Database found there had been a spike in cocaine use in Scotland coinciding with a drop in the price of the drug.

Researchers also found Glasgow users can have cocaine delivered to their door quicker than a pizza.