Thursday 28 March 2024
 6.8°C   ENE Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Two years behind bars for heroin supplier

A MAN who was concerned in the supply of heroin worth nearly £7,000 in Shetland has been sent to prison for two years.

Peter Henderson, of Grampian Prison, brought the class A drug into the islands by concealing packages in his body and travelling on the NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen, which arrived in Lerwick on 8 April.

Appearing from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday, the 35 year old also admitted supplying heroin at Lerwick’s Ladies Drive and elsewhere on 13 May. Both offences were committed while he was on bail.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said that in the first instance police acted on intelligence and stopped him as he came off the ferry from Aberdeen.

He was taken to the Lerwick Police Station and strip searched, with it becoming “abundantly clear” that Henderson was internally concealing packages – something he initially denied.

Henderson was taken to hospital, where an examination confirmed he was concealing items. He admitted it and produced two packages.

More heroin was recovered two and a half hours later when he was back at the police station, with officers also witnessing Henderson successfully flushing some drugs down the toilet later that night.

The May offence saw police officers execute a search warrant before seeing Henderson again flushing heroin down the toilet.

The police managed to recover a “small quantity” of the drug at the Lerwick address.

Mackenzie said the maximum value of drugs recovered was £6,730, which amounted to a weight of 69.41g.

Defence agent Iain McGregor said his client, who had a history of using heroin, had “slipped back into old habits” after being made redundant.

He said that Henderson sourced drugs from the UK mainland because of “inflated prices in Shetland”, with heroin involved in the May offence sent via post.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

The “bulk of it was for his own personal use and for his partner”, McGregor said, but Henderson accepts he would have supplied to a “limited” group of people.

“It was not a general commercial supply operation,” the defence agent said.

McGregor added that Henderson has been drug-free whilst in custody and had “resisted temptation” after being offered to supply heroin in prison.

Sheriff Philip Mann said there was “no realistic alternative” to a custodial sentence.

There was a “significant” amount of heroin recovered, he said, but there was also a “substantial” amount flushed away.

Sheriff Mann sent Henderson to jail for two years and backdated the sentence to when he first entered custody on 15 May.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 
Categories

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.