Supplied diazepam

A Lerwick man has admitted supplying diazepam which was sent to him in the post.

Paul Batty, 48, of Rudda Court, pleaded guilty to supplying the class C drug on 5th September last year, at Lerwick Sheriff Court today.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie told the court that police acting on a tip-off stopped Batty after he picked up a recorded delivery package at the Commercial Street Post Office. He was found to have four bags containing 373 diazepam tablets which sell for between 50p and £1 each

Batty told police he intended to give one or two tablets to friends but the officers discovered a text message on his phone from a “convicted individual” giving him the tracking number of the parcel and telling him to sell 200 of the tablets and keep the remainder for himself.

Sheriff Philip Mann told Batty, a first offender, that it was a serious offence he had pleaded guilty to and that a custodial sentence was “upmost in his mind”. He told Batty that although he did not want to send him to prison as he was a first offender he had to warn him that was a distinct possibility and maybe a probability.

The case was adjourned till 14th May for a criminal social enquiry report.