We remember this story from a few months back .. the jury didn’t buy it.
A garage worker who claimed he had nearly £10,000 worth of cannabis in his home for personal use because he was a drug “connoisseur” has been jailed for 18 months. Gary Winton told a court he smoked different kinds of hash at different times of the day and found it better to buy in bulk.
He said he had no idea he had stockpiled so much of the drug when a huge stash was recovered by police during a raid on his Perth flat. However, a jury rejected his claim to simply be a prolific “cannabis connoisseur” and instead found him guilty of dealing the drug for profit.
Sheriff William Wood said: “There was a substantial amount of cannabis found in your flat and you have always acknowledged ownership of that. It is true that you appear before the court as a first offender.
“But a jury has found you guilty of being concerned in the supply of a class B drug, despite your protestations. Your explanation that you were a connoisseur of the drug may be partly true.
“But the jury did not accept that you bought in bulk, given your limited salary. That is what made your claims implausible and incredible.”
Skateboarder Winton, 31, from Perth, told the jury he “loved” to smoke weed. He said he knew which varieties were best for waking you up in the mornings and which could help aid sleep at night. The jury at Perth Sheriff Court heard that nearly a kilo of the class B drug was recovered by police from his property in the city’s Gowrie Street.
He admitted the drug belonged to him but he denied he was a dealer. Jurors found Winton guilty of being concerned in the supply of cannabis. The court heard officers swooped on the flat on 4 March 2019 and found several tubs of cannabis, as well as scales and snap-bags with traces of the drug.
Read more. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-cannabis-connoisseur-jailed-after-27725586