A cocaine courier who told police in Dundee he had been involved in the  illegal drugs trade for 30 years had been having “a joke” with officers, it has been claimed.

Anthony Johnson, 64, was detained by police after transporting the drugs from Glasgow to Dundee.

The high court previously heard he told officers he was involved in the illicit trade for 30 years.

Advocate depute Brian Gill KC told the court: “He was acting as a high level courier in a cocaine supply network.”

However, on Thursday, Johnson’s solicitor advocate Kris Gilmartin told the High Court in Edinburgh: “This comment was made in a flippant fashion at the end of an interview and was considered by him to be a joke.”

Mr Gilmartin said: “In relation to his culpability, I would submit he has performed a limited role under direction.

“He was involved as a result of pressure being applied to him to work off a drug debt.

“He didn’t know exactly what quantity of drugs he was transporting and the financial advantage to him was limited.”

Sentencing

Judge Lord Ericht pointed out Johnson was previously jailed for five years in 2004 for drug offending.

He jailed him this time for four years and said he would have faced a six-year sentence but it was reduced due to his guilty plea.

Johnson earlier admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug on September 19 last year at St Salvador Street and Glamis Street, in Dundee.

He became the target for a surveillance operation after police received intelligence and on September 19, was seen driving a vehicle that stopped in the Hilltown.

Another man approached and was given a rucksack, which police found contained three packages, each containing a kilo of cocaine.

A fourth kilo of the drug was recovered during a search of the van used by Johnson.

Each block was worth £100,000.

Johnson, originally from Ghana, said he had earlier been in Glasgow.

An interviewing officer asked him how long he had been involved and he replied: “Thirty years. No comment.”

Mr Gilmartin said father-of-two Johnson became involved in trafficking the cocaine after being tempted to try the drug and then running up a debt.

He said: “He was apprehended after the first load of drugs was dropped off.”

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