Barmaid is jailed for selling drugs to undercover police officers

Oct 15 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A WEST Lothian barmaid who helped set up heroin deals for undercover police posing as drug-using thieves has been jailed.

Annmarie McCormack, (32), who worked in Blackburn’s Happy Valley Hotel, was snared as part of Operation Focus — a joint initiative involving the police, the procurator fiscal’s office, West Lothian Council and NHS Lothian, in a bid to sweep drug dealers off the streets of West Lothian.

And at the High Court in Edinburgh last week a judge rejected a plea to spare the first offender and mother-of-two a prison sentence and jailed her for 33 months.

Lord Malcolm said: “Heroin causes misery not only to the end users but to the community.”

The court heard that McCormack was at first reluctant to help the undercover officers source drugs after they began frequenting the bar where she worked.

But she then contacted her drug user husband, Derek (31) and later helped put them in touch with dealer Paul Curran (35).

Curran, who was caught with heroin worth £33,000 was jailed for four and a half years following the undercover operation against hard drugs supply in West Lothian.

Derek McCormack, who has been jailed twice before for Class A drugs crimes, was sentenced to five years and 219 days imprisonment.

The court heard an anti-drugs operation was mounted in the West Lothian area between October last year and March this year using “test purchase officers” — police disguised as drug buyers.

Officers met Annmarie McCormack at The Happy Valley Hotel and got to know her.

They gradually indicated to McCormack, of Elm Terrace, Blackburn, that they were financing drug habits by selling stolen goods and made her aware that they were looking for heroin in larger amounts than the £10 and £20 bags they had bought from others.

An arrangement was made to buy a half ounce for £400 on December 14 last year and after McCormack made phone calls and sent texts she met up with her husband and handed over the drugs.

During a raid on Curran’s home at Riddochhill Crescent, in Blackburn, three bags of heroin were found containing more than 330 grams of the drug.

The McCormacks and Curran all earlier admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin.