A TAXI driver was caught with a kilo of high purity cocaine with a potential street value in excess of £200,000 in the glove compartment of his vehicle when he was stopped by police.

Ibrahim Oguz told uniformed officers: "The key opens the glovebox. I don't know what's in there. The glovebox might have been interfered with in London."

Oguz, 43, was stopped driving his Mercedes Vito on the A1 near Haddington in the early hours of September 28, 2021, as he returned to Edinburgh from London.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Police Scotland received intelligence the previous day that the driver of the vehicle had met another individual and a drugs transaction took place.

Oguz, of Duke Street, Edinburgh, admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug when he appeared at the court.

Advocate depute John Macpherson told the court on Monday that, on September 26, 2021, Oguz drove from Edinburgh to London.

The prosecutor said: "He took what he thought was cash in the sum of either £19,500 or £20,000 to an address there."

Worth £201,000

Oguz later told police that he was asked by a man to collect a bag from an unknown male in Edinburgh and, when he turned up at the address, a bag was placed in the vehicle.

He was told to drive the bag to London and was provided with an address. When he arrived in London, he was met by men he did not know who took the bag.

Mr Macpherson said: "He went for a cigarette and on his return was informed that there was a package in the glove box. He said that he thought the package was something valuable, duly locked the glove box and drove back towards Edinburgh."

He told police that he was due to deliver the package to the same area of Edinburgh where he previously collected the cash.

The prosecutor said that the cocaine recovered was a recognised kilo deal with a value of £40,000 but with the potential to be worth £201,000 if it was adulterated to street level purity for sale as one-gram deals.

The judge, John Morris KC, deferred sentence on Oguz until February 1.