County Lines: Birmingham dealer caught in Edinburgh with heroin and cocaine

A dealer was caught with thousands of pounds of cocaine and heroin during an early morning police sting last year.

Demetre Dobson had travelled over county lines with bags containing the Class A drugs and was detained at Edinburgh bus station during the police operation.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told police had received intelligence Dobson was coming in to Edinburgh city centre carrying the drugs.

The officers swooped on the 20-year-old as he alighted the National Express vehicle at around 8.10am on November 28 last year.

County Lines drug couriers are targeting Scottish towns and cities from their English bases.

Prosecutor Jack Castor told the court Dobson was detained and during a search he was found in possession of a black JD Sports bag that had separate bags within.

The two bags were said to contain 72 grams of diamorphine with a street value of approximately £3600, and also 110 grams of cocaine with a value of £11,000.

Dobson appeared at the city courtvia a video link from Polmont YOI where he admitted being concerned in supply of quantities of cocaine and diamorphine.

Defending lawyer Chris McFarlane said his client was originally from Birmingham and his arrest was seen as part of “a county lines operation”.

Mr McFarlane added Dobson is “very much at the bottom of the tree” of the drug dealing operation but said he would reserve his full mitigation to the sentencing hearing.

Sheriff Nigel Ross said due to Dobson’s age and the nature of the offences he would need to defer sentence for the preparation of socials work reports to next month.

Dobson was remanded in custody meantime.

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