A drugs "donkey" who was caught with heroin and cash during a police raid was jailed for three years and seven months today.
Jack Leake had faced a minimum seven year prison sentence for his third similar drugs offence.
But a judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh that he was satisfied he could depart from the minimum sentence and impose a lesser term.
Lord
Turnbull said: "The value of the drugs found in your possession was not great."
He told unemployed benefits claimant Leake that he would have jailed him for four and half years for his latest crime, but for his guilty plea.
The court heard that in November last year police received confidential information that Leake was involved in the supply of heroin in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh.
They found father-of-three Leake, aged 36, in the living room of a house in Hay Drive where he was living on December 4 and he indicated that he had something in his pocket.
A bag containing heroin was recovered which drug squad detectives estimated had a street value of up to £900.
Advocate depute Leanne Cross said officers also found £1000 in a suit pocket at the house.
During an interview Leake at first said he had forgotten about the money but then stated he got it as a "donkey" – a person who collects and delivers drugs.
Defence solicitor advocate John Keenan said Leake had a long-standing drug problem for over 10 years.
"He indicates he first became involved with heroin when he was in custody serving a sentence. Since then the problem has continued," he said.
"He has throughout that period never really worked because of the drug problem," said Mr Keenan. He said Leake had run up a drug debt and acted as a courier to pay it off.
The defence lawyer argued that Leake was "at the lower end of the chain" and no dealers' tick lists were found during the police search.
Leake admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug between November 13 and December 4 last year.
The full article contains 359 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
