Beyond recovering 1.6 kg of herbal cannabis contained in vacuum bags, police also discovered a set of scales and a money counting machine.
A Scottish drug dealer surprised by a police raid last year didn’t have time to trash his stash and apparently thought saying his £16,000 ($27,500) worth of weed had been “gifted to him by a school friend” might get him a get-out-of-jail-free card. It did not.
Beyond recovering 1.6 kg of herbal cannabis contained in vacuum bags, Police Scotland also discovered a set of scales and a money counting machine, according to the Daily Record.
Earlier this month, Richard Ashworth, 46, appeared before sheriff court in Edinburgh and admitted to supplying drugs, found after police executed a search warrant at his home on June 18, 2019.
Fiscal depute Anna Robertson told the court that the weed had a value of £16,000 ($27,500) if peddled in £10 ($17) deals, or £12,000 (almost $21,000) if sold in bulk.
During a police interview, Ashworth “admitted” ownership of the cannabis by saying the drugs had been a gift from a school friend, Robertson noted. As for the money-counting machine, he had no explanation.
It is not yet clear how much time the accused, whose defence agent argued he was merely acting as a “custodian” of the cannabis, will receive. He is set to next appear in court in December.
Possession of a Class B drug in the U.K., which includes cannabis, can result in as long as five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both for possessing the drug. That penalty increases to up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both if a person is convicted of supply or production of cannabis.
“The amount of drugs found and whether you have a criminal record will affect your penalty,” notes information from the U.K. government.