A drug mule caught with a £14,000 haul of cocaine and heroin at a Scots train station told cops: “I don’t want to go to jail”.
Tia Tyndale had just arrived at Edinburgh Waverley when police swooped to arrest her following a tip-off.
The 23-year-old brought a consignment of drugs in a bag from Birmingham to help pay off rent arrears, a court was told.
Tyndale appeared at the city’s sheriff court on Tuesday and admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine on March 10 last year.
Fiscal depute Jack Castor said two detectives were in the capital’s Fettes police station when they received information that Tyndale was travelling north.
Mr Castor said the cops staked out the rail station and saw Tyndale walk out its entrance onto Market Street at 4.15pm.
He said: “She appeared to officers to be confused and unsure where she was.
“They approached her and the accused panicked and stated, “I don’t want to go to jail”.”
The prosecutor said Tyndale was searched and officers checked a black tote bag.
The court heard Tyndale told them: “I’ve brought something up in my bag. I don’t know what it is.”
Mr Castor said the bag held a cardboard box containing drugs.
He said the 149g of cocaine had a street value of up to £12,000 while the 47g of heroin could realise £1580.
Defence agent Cameron Tait said his client had no previous convictions.
Mr Tait said Tyndale found herself in “serious financial trouble” with rent arrears and confided in a friend.
The solicitor said the friend suggested she earn cash by taking a package from Birmingham to Edinburgh as she’d done it before.
Mr Tait said Tyndale didn’t look in the package and she came out of the train station “looking out of place and confused”.
He said she’d “grown increasingly remorseful and regretted undertaking the journey” while on the train.
Sheriff Norman McFadyen deferred sentence on Tyndale, of Birmingham, until next month for reports.
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