Drug dealer caught near police HQ

Zdralek admitted having cocaine with intent to supply

A drug dealer has been jailed for nine months after trying to ply his trade near police headquarters.

Vincent Zdralek, 22, was spotted by officers as he stopped and spoke to a known drugs courier - who had just left the station in Perth.

Detectives stepped in and discovered Zdralek was carrying cocaine worth �470 pounds and he had �355 in cash.

Zdralek, from Perth, admitted having the class A drug with intent to supply in Dunkeld Road on 6 June.

He claimed that he started taking cocaine when his mother died and had been selling it to pay off debts from his parents' funerals.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that he was the latest drugs dealer to be caught as a result of links and intelligence from the Liverpool area.

The man Zdralek had been caught speaking to was from the city.

It was only when he got arrested for this that he realised it was out of control Solicitor John McLaughlin

When officers approached them he admitted he had cocaine in his pocket. When he was searched they found 14 packets of white powder.

Zdralek told the officers he planned to use up to seven of the bags himself as he was "going to a party" and would sell the rest to friends.

Solicitor John McLaughlin, defending, said: "After the death of his mother his life, to a large measure, took a very different turn.

"He had to look after all of the family and become a surrogate parent. He started drinking then moved on to cocaine.

"It was only when he got arrested for this that he realised it was out of control. His expenditure for his cocaine use and a high bill for the funeral account were causing him difficulty."

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told the tiler he would have made a significant profit from selling on the cocaine and sent him to prison.

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