East Lothian crime: drug dealer caught with £12,000 of cocaine under his couch

A drug dealer who was caught with £12,000 of cocaine hidden under his couch has escaped a jail sentence.

Terence Grieve stashed more than 200 grams of the Class A drug under the furniture at his home in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

The dealer was also caught red-handedwith bags of the white powder along with several bundles of cash and a set of digital scales when police raided his home in September 2020.

The 59-year-old had previously pleaded guilty during earlier proceedings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and returned to the dock to learnhis fate.

Busted: Police officers caught Terence Grieve with £12,000 worth of cocaine

But instead of jailing him, Sheriff Kenneth Campbell QC issued a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody.

Grieve was placed under the supervision of his local criminal justice social work department for the next 30 months and he will have to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work in the community, such as litter picking.

He will also be electronically tagged and will have to stay within his home address between the hours of 8pm and 6am for the next nine months.

At an earlier calling, the court heard that Police Scotland officers obtained a warrant and raided Grieve’s home. A team of detectives found him to be in possession of 15 packets of cocaine with a value of £650 on September 24, 2020.

Procurator fiscal depute Susan Dickson said the property was then searched and officers recovered £1075 in cash, a set of digital scales and further wraps of the drug.

The fiscal added 39 bags of cocaine were also found hidden under Grieve’s sofa with a value of £4350.

The court was also told the total amount of cocaine found during the raid was 201.7 grams which has a street value of £11,900.

Sheriff Campbell granted the Crown motion for the forfeiture of all the items found at the house.

Grieve pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine from his home on September 23 and 24, 2020.

If he breaches the community service order Grieve could be detained and hauled back before the court to face Sheriff Campbell once again, with the possibility of a custodial sentence.