Vacuum flask heroin deliveries likely to lead to jail term for Lerwick woman

A Lerwick woman allowed drug traffickers to post heroin to her house where dealers could pick it up to peddle to users in Shetland. But the illegal narcotic was detected by a sniffer dog at the Post Office even though it was concealed inside a vacuum flask.

The police obtained a search warrant and allowed the package to be delivered before pouncing on Desiree Hassan, 47, after she opened it in her house in Bruce Crescent. Heroin worth around £4,000, weighing 27.23 grams was recovered.

Hassan has been in Cornton Vale prison, near Stirling, since the raid on 14th September. She tried to get bail but was refused and she lost her appeal to the High Court against the decision.

Appearing at Lerwick Sheriff Court today, Hassan pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and admitted a previous drugs conviction. Her lawyer, Gordon Williams, said her adult life had been blighted by her drug problem although she had taken steps to tackle it during her two-and-a-half months in Scotland’s women’s prison. She also has various health problems.

Sheriff Graeme Napier deferred sentence for two weeks for a background report which will look at alternatives to continuing her stretch in jail. However he told Hassan it was almost inevitable she would get a prison sentence.