A middle-aged former banker who turned to drug dealing after the breakdown of his relationship has been jailed for 35 months.
Joseph Elvin was caught with cocaine worth £24,000 in his car when police pulled him over near McDiarmid Park football stadium in Perth.
Elvin - who was described in court as the "perfect patsy" - was pulled over by police close to the home of St Johnstone FC in June 2019.
Officers had been given information about a specific vehicle known to be used by an organised drug gang and it was the Vauxhall Astra Elvin was discovered driving.
When the car was searched officers found two blocks of class A drug cocaine hidden in the driver's door. Perth Sheriff Court was told the haul was potentially worth £24,000.
An analysis of the text messages on Elvin's phone showed that he was involved in supplying the drug to others, the court was told.
Elvin, 48, from Clydebank, admitted being concerned in the supply of the drug between June 3 and June 18, 2019.
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney said: "It was noted that this vehicle was being utilised by an organised crime group.
"Police officers immediately instructed the vehicle to stop by activating their lights and sirens. The vehicle was successfully brought to a halt on Crieff Road, at the entrance to McDiarmid Park."
Mr Sweeney said the Vauxhall Astra was then taken to Perth Police Station and police found two knotted polythene bags containing blocks of white powder weighing 124g and 129g hidden under the electric window button on the driver's door.
Elvin was interviewed by police that evening and claimed that he had been asked to take the car and try to sell it. He claimed to have no knowledge of the drugs but his DNA was found on the packaging.
"From the mobile phones recovered there were conversations with a contact who appears to have given the accused an instruction for collecting and delivering different quantities of unspecified items."
Solicitor Gail Campbell, defending, said: "He is someone who has led a pretty exemplary life, and has worked for various financial institutions including Clydesdale Bank and Direct Line.
"Things fell apart with his separation from his long-term partner. Everything suddenly unravelled. For the first time in his life he started to use illicit drugs.
"That brought him into contact with people he would never have otherwise met," she said. "The more people he met further up the chain and he became more open to abuse.
"He was, to a certain extent, exploited. He was the perfect patsy, in that he was vulnerable, with rising drug debts. It was put to him as a business proposition.
"He was genuinely fearful for his safety. He put himself at the wheel and became a cog in the system."
Sheriff William Wood said: "The quantity of drugs recovered are significant. Drugs are a scourge on society, they wreck lives, they wreck families and can lead to the exploitation of children.
"I have sympathy with the fact you come before the court at your age as a first offender and that there was a catastrophic downturn in your life."
