Two jailed on drugs charge

Eight months for accused caught with £5000 worth of cocaine

TWO men stopped by police as they drove north with a stash of cocaine worth £5000 on the street, have both been jailed for eight months.
Officers recovered 120 grams of the Class A drug after stopping Michael Shearer, 27, and 24-year-old Mark Mackay, on the A9, at Latheron, in Caithness, on April 19, last year.
The pair admitted on indictment, at Wick Sheriff Court, today, being in possession of the drugs which were discovered in five plastic bags in a rucksack - with intent to supply to another.
David Barclay, prosecuting, said that although it had been a joint enterprise, the drugs were designed to be shared between the two accused, alone, and not for general distribution.
Solicitors for Shearer, of 10 Cairndhuna Terrace and Mackay, who lives at 29 Seaforth Avenue, both Wick, also stressed that the drugs purchase had not been "a commercially-led" affair.
The two accused had pooled their rescources in order to obtain the cocaine at a more attractive price. Shearer, unemployed, of 10 Cairndhuna Terrace, Wick, was said to be addressing his addiction. The court was told that Mackay, of 29 Seaforth Avenue, Wick, had a cocaine habit that was "out of control" at the time of the offence.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Andrew Berry said that he took into account that the drugs had been exclusively for the two accused but added that the offence remained a serious matter.
He added: "The reality is that you made arrangements to travel to meet a dealer in some clandestine environment to take possession of a large quantity of cocaine in exchange for a substantial amount of money."
Both accused admitted a record.