Drug courier Gary Wood's family 'had been threatened'
A man felt forced to act as a drug courier after his parents were threatened over his brother's debts, a court has heard.
Gary Wood, 29, from Liverpool, was caught with heroin with a street value of £85,600 on the A74(M) near Gretna in April.
Dumfries Sheriff Court heard he had been told he could clear his brother's debts if he took the drugs to Dundee.
A sheriff jailed him for three years and nine months.
The court was told Wood knew he was carrying drugs but was not aware of their value.
He admitted being concerned in the supplying of heroin.
He was stopped by police carrying out routine checks on the motorway in southern Scotland.
Alison Herald, prosecuting, told the court that when speaking to Wood police noticed a bag under the front seat and found it contained 34 separate bags of heroin.
Solicitor Gavin Orr said Wood, whose brother was in prison and had debts, had been approached and told the debt would be cleared if he took the heroin to Scotland.
He said his parents had been threatened and the windows of their home smashed, and felt he had no option but to carry the drugs.
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael pointed out that the High Court had made it clear that prison was the appropriate sentence for those carrying drugs, even if it involved intimidation.