Dealer fled to Spain and missed trial

Police found quantities of the Class A drug with a street value of more than £8000 when they raided a house in Bellshill.

Michael Jackson (32), a prisoner, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine at an address in Burnside Avenue in February last year.

He also admitted being in possession of a stolen car and failing to attend court in connnection with the case in June.

Another man, Edward Bowen (28), has already been jailed for two years and four months after he admitted the cocaine charge and the reset of alcohol.

Callum Forsyth, prosecuting, said both men were in the house in Burnside Avenue when police arrived with a search warrant and carried out a “systematic” search.

They had been told there were drugs in the property and recovered wraps of cocaine in various parts of the house.

Parked outside the house was a car, worth £25,000, which had been stolen two months earlier. The key for the vehicle was found in the house. Mr Forsyth said CCTV from a nearby garage showed Jackson had been driving the car.

The court heard Jackson went to Spain and missed his trial date last summer. He was tracked down to Alicante in November and brought back to Scotland the following month. He has been in custody since.

Sheriff Ray Small called for background reports and deferred sentence until March 29. He warned Jackson to expect a further stretch behind bars.