A man who boarded a flight with £12,000 in cash and £3000 worth of a Class-B drug claimed he was going to supply the drugs “socially at a party.”
Michael Norden, 28, was busted in Glasgow Airport before his flight to London with the drugs after cops received an anonymous tip off.
Norden’s defence agent claimed the drugs were to be used “socially” as he was heading to London to go to a party and was moving there to be with his girlfriend and daughter.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard: “Around 9.30am on Friday, March 26, Police Scotland’s call centre received anonymous information the accused was travelling to London from a Scottish airport in possession of £5000 in cash and £15,000 of cannabis shatter.
“Enquiries were carried out and police discovered Michael Norden was booked on a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London on March 28.
“Police attended at the airport and requested to be notified when the accused checked in.
“Around 10.30am police were notified Norden had checked in and they traced him within the airport.
“The accused advised police he was travelling to London.
“Further police attended and advised the accused they had received information that he may be in possession if a controlled drug and he was detained and led to an interview room.
“The accused was searched and nothing of evidential value was found on his person.
“His backpack was then searched and inside a hard black box with a glass sculpture and attachments were within.
“Another black box containing a glass sculpture, attachments and a temperature gauge was also found.
“Norden’s check-in bag was identified and during a search the accused stated ‘I have cannabis in small jars.’
“Within the bag was a black box with a vaporiser, an orange blow torch, two carbon filter smoke bombs, 11 small jars containing an orange jell, ten small jars containing stones and £12,000 in cash.
“The accused was then arrested.
“Other items seized included a jar with a gold lid with 20.9g of THC. A jar with a silver lid with 0.33g of THC. A small black jar with 0.75g of THC.
“PC Murphy confirmed THC is Tetrahydrocannabinol and is a Class-B drug.”
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Norden, of Baronald Drive in Glasgow, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis shatter - a super-strength cannabis that, when processed, looks like cooled caramel or honeycomb - on March 28, last year at Glasgow Airport.
Norden’s defence agent Mr Gallen told how Norden and his friends had “chipped in” for the drugs, claiming they spent £3000 for the haul.
He said Norden contributed £600 to the drugs and that they were in his possession on a “social supply basis.”
Mr Gallen said: “The report says Norden was taking the drugs to London to take to a party, but he was also actually moving to London to stay with his partner and one-year-old daughter.
“The money is savings from his employment where he is paid in cash.
“He was taking it with him as he intended to use it to put it down as a deposit on a house.
“It was extremely foolish and he has been terrified he would be taken into custody for this.”
Sheriff Laura Mundell said: “You appear here today as a 28-year-old man previously of good character and now you have a criminal conviction.
“This is an extremely dangerous charge of being concerned in the supply of drugs.
“You attempted to take a significant amount of drugs to London on a aeroplane, as you say, to supply socially at a party.
“I have seriously considered imposing a custodial sentence today.”
Sheriff Mundell ordered Norden to complete 180 hours of unpaid work within 18 months and placed him on a Restriction of Liberty Order which will require him to stay within his home address between 8pm and 7am each day for three months.
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