Kirkcaldy cocaine supplier collected up to £100,000 per week, court told

Police seized cash, cannabis and a quantity of the Class A drug cocaine during a search of Mathew Guthrie's address in the LAng Toun. The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Guthrie,33, "took ownership" of the drugs and money recovered at the property during an interview with police.

He said he was paid £500 a week to store and deliver drugs and also collected £115,000 to £100,000 in cash a week after running into debt.

Guthrie admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine between November 1 in 2022 and March 28 last year at his house in Oaktree Square, and elsewhere. He also pleaded guilty to being involved in the supply of cannabis over the same period at the address.

The court heard that during searches officers recovered almost £33,000 in cash along with cocaine with a potential street value of more than £220,000 and more than £23,000 worth of cannabis.

Advocate depute Stewart Ronnie said that police received intelligence that Guthrie was concerned in the supply of illicit drugs and were granted a search warrant for his home address. Some of the cocaine recovered during the search at the house, a summer house and shed was of a high purity and had not been adulterated. Officers also found a cash counting machine and a hydraulic press.

Defence solicitor advocate Gordon Martin told the court he would reserve his mitigation for an adjourned sentencing hearing next month. Guthrie was served with papers for a proceeds of crime action as the Crown seeks to seize profits from the drug trade.

A judge told him: "You have pleaded guilty to two charges of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs, one of which concerns a large quantity of cocaine which seems to be indicative of an ongoing operation."

Lord Tyre said that as Guthrie has no previous convictions he was required to obtain a background report on him before passing a sentence of imprisonment.