Over two years in jail for taxi driver drugs courier from Alloa A TAXI driver who was caught ferrying a consignment of drugs with a street value of £143,000 has been jailed for 30 months.
John Donaldson, who was not on duty at the time, was stopped by police heading towards Alloa in late September and told officers: “Bang to rights, big man.”
Police found about 50 kilos of cannabis resin packaged up inside the Mercedes Vito he was driving.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that if the quantity of drugs was broken down into street deals it had the potential to command a price of £142,850; however, Donaldson claimed the profit would be limited to £5,000 as it would be sold in bulk.
A search at Donaldson’s home in Smithfield Meadows, in Alloa, also recovered heroin worth about £1,000 which he told officers was for his own personal use.
Donaldson (55) admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class B drug cannabis resin and supplying the Class A drug heroin from his home.
Advocate depute David Nicolson told the court that police were patrolling in an unmarked car when they spotted Donaldson’s car.
They were aware of intelligence related to a drugs operation so they pulled him over and found two cardboard boxes containing packaged cannabis in the car.
Officers also went to his home and told his partner that he had been detained.
They were armed with a drugs search warrant and she showed them a tub in a kitchen cupboard containing heroin and said: “It’s John’s, no mines.”
Donaldson, who was previously jailed for five years for a drugs offence in 1993, told police that he had taken possession of the cannabis earlier that day from another man and put it in the rear of the Mercedes.
He maintained that the cannabis, weighing about 50 kilos, had been “laid on”, or advanced, to him at a price of £47,500 and any money made above that amount would be profit for himself.
Defence solicitor advocate Ian Bryce said: “The intention was it was to be sold in two deals. The profit was intended to be £5000.”
Mr Bryce said Donaldson only intended to have possession of the cannabis for a short time before it was moved on.
He said that after Donaldson served his previous sentence he had gone into the minicab business and then into minibuses.
But he had been affected by the recession, although his minicab business continued on a smaller scale.
Mr Bryce said Donaldson became involved in the drugs transaction after he had been sought out be someone he had dealings with a long time ago who offered a chance to make a quick profit.
“He foolishly tried to take advantage of it. He regrets that deeply now,” said the defence lawyer.
Mr Bryce said Donaldson had used heroin and only supplied it to one person.
He said Donaldson had lost a contract he had with an engineering firm and had taken steps to wind down the taxi business.
In handing Donaldson the 30-month stretch, Lord Glennie said: “On any view, your conduct has been very foolish and it has had consequences quite apart from your appearance in this court.”
The judge also told Donaldson that he was spared a four-year sentence for the offences due to his early plea.
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FAQ
There will certianly be a stweards inquiry into this little lot.