Cumbernauld man caught by own CCTV

Ako Rash insisted to police that he'd never set foot in the house where 4kg of the Class B drug was discovered. But the property's CCTV footage showed him and another man arriving with boxes stuffed with herbal material.

Rash, 39, of Achray Road, Cumbernauld, narrowly avoided a jail sentence at Airdrie Sheriff Court. He admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis at a house in Broomfield Street, Airdrie, on July 7 and 8, 2021.

Sarah Healing, prosecuting, said intelligence reports led police to get search warrants for Rash's home and the Airdrie address.

She stated: "Nothing of evidential value was found in Achray Road but keys for the Airdrie property were recovered when officers searched him. Six large boxes containing 17 vacuum bags of green herbal material were found in a bedroom at the address in Broomfield Street.

"In the kitchen was a letter addressed to the accused at that property. He replied 'No comment' to most questions and denied ever having been in the house.

"But police officers viewed the private CCTV which showed him and another man taking cardboard boxes containing cannabis into the property."

The wholesale value of the cannabis seized was about £64,600. Rash then claimed he had been asked to look after the drugs.

Defence advocate Patricia Bailey said that although her client has a criminal record he has no convictions for drug offences

Ms Bailey added: "He had a traumatic childhood and adolescence before arriving in Scotland aged 25.

"He now has a stable life with his partner of eight years and her two children.

"He is working and I would ask that the case be dealt with by way of a community payback order."

Sheriff Paul Haran told Rash he could easily pass a prison sentence but, given all the circumstances, he was prepared to "step away from that".

Rash was placed under social work supervision for 18 months and must carry out 270 hours of unpaid community work. He faces another court hearing in October as the Crown attempts to recover cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act.