Heroin addict caught with drugs coming off boat jailed for two years

A heroin addict caught with the drug at Holmsgarth Ferry Terminal in May was sent to prison for two years when he appeared from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

The court heard that Graham Shaw, 37, a prisoner in Aberdeen, had been detained by police when he disembarked from the NorthLink ferry on 3rd May.

He was searched at Lerwick Police Station and produced a small packet of heroin he was carrying internally. This contained 1.6g of heroin worth £90, but it could also have been made into 21 £10 bags worth £210.

Later a second, larger packet of heroin was produced. This weighed 5.4g and was in prepared £20 deals with a value of between £490 and £610. The court heard the smaller packet was payment for carrying the larger package.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said Shaw, originally from Edinburgh, had been an addict since 1993 and that most of the consignment was for his own consumption. The packages were the way Shaw had purchased them and were not all for sale. He had been in custody since his first court appearance and knew he would face a prison sentence.

Sheriff Graeme Napier sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment backdated to 5th May, saying his offences were at the “modest” end of the scale and mostly done to feed his own habit.