Highlands heroin dealer jailed for three years
A sheriff has jailed a heroin dealer who was found in a house in Inverness three days after being told to get out of Scotland.
Liam Holding (21) from Blackpool was found counting cash and with a set of scales at an address in Anderson Street on May 22.
He also had over £4,000 worth of heroin in his possession.
He was made the subject of a bail order on May 19 at Peterhead Sheriff Court to leave Scotland within two days.
He appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court earlier this month and admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin in Inverness and breaching the bail order on May 22.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson heard from depute fiscal Roderick Urquhart that the bail order was made on May 19 and the day after he was instructed to leave Scotland.
Holding, who had already served time for supply of drugs, was found in the property in teh city's Anderson Street.
The fiscal said police had a warrant to arrest a person at the house and when they entered the property Holding was in a living room at a coffee table counting money and on the table was a set of scales.
He said: "Holding and others were detained and a total of £915 was recovered from the house. Police also found a total of 41.4 grammes of heroin with a street value of £4,140."
The fiscal added that Holding’s mobile phone contained messages that revealed others were expecting him to supply heroin to them.
Defence agent Leonard Birkinshaw said that one of Holding’s co-accused in the Peterhead case had relations in Inverness and he was to stay there for what was supposed to have been one night.
"His mother was going to pick him up. For whatever reason she was unable to make it to Inverness and he was forced to remain there. He was a bit player in another man’s drug operation and agreed to assist him."
His solicitor Mr Burkinshaw said Holding accepted given his record there was only one sentencing option and asked the Sheriff to take into account he had been remanded since May 25.
Sheriff Neilson, jailing him for three years backdated the sentence to that date.
