Local drug dealer sent to prison

A SHETLAND drug dealer who allowed his address to be used for heroin parcels to be sent to was jailed for almost three years at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Andrew Flaws, of 34b Grodians, Lerwick had earlier pled guilty to be concerned in the supply of class A drug between 14 and 28 May last year.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the last of at least three parcels contained just over 80 grams of heroin with a potential street value of £8,100.

Defence solicitor Neil Roberts said his 31 year old client accepted that a lengthy period of imprisonment was inevitable.

In mitigation, he said Flaws had started using heroin ten years ago but had also managed to free himself of the addictions for some of time.

As he relapsed and drugs came back to his life Flaws built up debts and become an easy target for mainland-based dealers.

Roberts said his client was promised that his debt would be wiped off, and he could also keep some of the drugs for his own use.

He stressed that Flaws involvement was limited to accepting packages at his address, and that he was not involved in the actual distribution of the heroin.

Sheriff Philip Mann told Flaws that anybody involved in the illegal drugs trade could expect a lengthy jail term when appearing before his court.

He sent him behind bars for 34 months.