'Murder threat' for drugs courier

Cocaine was found in Aitchison's car and home

A man caught with £100,000 of cocaine claimed he would be murdered if he told police officers anything about the drugs, a court has heard.

Malcolm Aitchison was detained in a McDonald's restaurant car park on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Cocaine was found in the Audi car he was driving, with more of the drug later discovered at his home.

He pled guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh to being concerned in the supply of drugs. Sentence was deferred.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC told the court that on 5 March police watched Aitchison drive to Dalkeith and park next to a Mercedes car before making a handover.

He was later seen driving to the car park at McDonald's at Newbridge where police approached and detained him.

The ultimate disposal will certainly be a custodial one Lord Hardie

A white block of cocaine was found in the glove compartment and Aitchison was asked if it belonged to him.

He said he had nothing to say about it, before later telling officers: "I can't say anything, I'll get murdered."

A search was carried out at his home address in Rosewell, Midlothian, and blocks of cocaine were found in a carrier bag in a chest of drawers and in the fridge freezer.

Loose powder cocaine was also found along with a press and cling film, tape, a mask and mobile phones.

Mr Prentice said a total of 2.5 kilos of the Class A drug was recovered.

The prosecutor said Aitchison later admitted possessing the drugs in the car at the branch of McDonalds, but denied owning them.

'Future repercussions'

"He stated that he had been instructed to supply the drugs to another person but he refused to name both the person supplying the drugs and the person he was supposed to give them to," he said.

He said the items recovered at his home belonged to another man, but again refused to name him "due to fear of future repercussions", said Mr Prentice.

Defence counsel Michael Anderson said: "The background is one in which his son was in prison and there were difficulties in relation to that."

Lord Hardie deferred sentence on him for the preparation of a background report and remanded him in jail.

The judge told the unemployed loft insulator: "The ultimate disposal will certainly be a custodial one."