Heroin dealer jailed

May 11 2007 Dumfries & Galloway Standard

A DRUGS dealer snared in a high profile police operation has been jailed for four years.

Thirty-year-old Thomas Hannay admitted supplying drugs, which he bought on away days to Edinburgh, at his Lewars Avenue home in Dumfries, the High Court in Glasgow heard.

Lord Bracadale told Hannay: “You were clearly dealing on a regular basis and on one occasion were caught with a substantial amount which you were taking to Dumfries."

The judge accepted, however, that Hannay was dealing to feed his own addiction.

Hannay admitted three charges of being concerned in the supply of heroin last year.

During a police raid on his house in July detectives found a drug dealer's kit including clingfilm, scales, polythene bags, a number of mobile phones and a tick list.

Alastair Kennedy, prosecuting, said that unemployed Hannay was caught red-handed with £7,000 worth of heroin in his Skoda motor car on July 6.

He was nabbed during an undercover surveillance operation on Richard Fergusson, the dealer in Edinburgh, who supplied him.

Mr Kennedy added: "Mr Fergusson has subsequently been convicted in the High Court for being concerned in the supply of heroin.

“He was sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment."

Mr Kennedy said another man revealed that he and Hannay would travel once a week to collect heroin.

On one occasion he didn't have to go to the capital.

Hannay's house had been broken into and drugs stolen and Fergusson, who happened to be in the area at the time called in.

He was able to supply three ounces of heroin and Hannay's girlfriend was sent to borrow a set of scales so the powder could be taken from what appeared to be a one kilo block of heroin.