Dealer caught with £16k of cannabis told cops it was ‘gifted to him by friend’

A drug dealer caught with £16,000 of cannabis in a police raid told cops the haul was “gifted to him by a school friend”.

Richard Ashworth, 46, was snared with the large stash of the Class B drug after officers executed a search warrant at an Edinburgh flat.

Officers from Police Scotland also discovered a money counting machine during the swoop on the address.

Ashworth appeared at the city’s sheriff court on Thursday, October 22, and admitted being concerned in the supply of drugs on June 18 last year.

Fiscal depute Anna Robertson said the raid recovered 1627g of herbal cannabis in vacuum bags along with a set of scales.

She said the drugs had a value of £16,000 if peddled in £10 deals, or £12,000 if sold in bulk.

Ms Robertson said Ashworth “admitted ownership” of the drugs in a police interview and said it was…