A DRUGS courier who was caught with cocaine with a maximum street value of £600,000 jailed for four years.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Stephen Scott, 37, from Dundee, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine on July 5, last year, at the M8 near junction 10 at Stirling. His black Audi was stopped by police around 9pm after they received an anonymous tip-off.

Scott, who lost his job as a call centre worker, claimed he was acting as a courier to get money for his family.

Prosecutor Richard Goddard QC said: “Police officers found a supermarket carrier bag in the front passenger footwell. It was found to contain five blocks of powder.’

The court heard that the cocaine had an average purity of 78 per cent.

Mr Goddard added: “If subdivided the total quantity recovered had the potential to realise £500,000 to £600,000.”

Solicitor advocate Chris Fyffe, defending, said: “He takes full responsibility for his actions. At the time he had lost his job and found himself in financial difficulties. He made an extremely poor decision to act as a courier. He did this to support his family.”

Judge Lord Arthurson told Scott that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.