Woman feared she and her family would be murdered by Liverpool drug dealers
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A fear of her and her family being murdered by Liverpool drug dealers forced a 32 year old Inverness woman to take over £17,000 of class A drugs as insurance against being killed.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that was the explanation given by Stephanie Lewicki, of Galloway Drive, Inverness, after she got a taxi to Aviemore and was then traced by police to a restaurant there on the evening of May 15, 2022.
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair told Sheriff Neil Wilson that Lewicki, who admitted simple possession of 250.3 grammes of cocaine and 2.18 grammes of heroin, was a reported missing person on May 13.
Mrs Gair said: "A taxi picked her up in Tomatin Road and she put a holdall in the boot. She told the driver she had to say goodbye to her mother as she may not see her again.
"She then asked to be taken to Glasgow but the driver said he would take her to Aviemore.
"The driver then reported her to police, knowing she was a missing person, and she was traced to a restaurant in Aviemore."
Mrs Gair added that officers searched her and she had a jar of wraps hidden between her legs.
She told them: "I took this as collateral so my family wouldn't be murdered."
Lewicki was searched again at Burnett Road Police Station with £575 in cash being found in her bra, a bag of wraps and a Kinder egg.
The total value of the cocaine and heroin was £17,310.
Defence solicitor advocate Clare Russell asked Sheriff Neil Wilson to call for a background report due to her client's lack of record.
He agreed and told Lewicki to return on April 11 to be sentenced.
However, the Sheriff re-assured her that, although they were serious charges, he was not considering a prison sentence but 'an alternative to prison'.
Ms Russell reserved her comments until date of sentencing.
