A DRUG dealer was found lying unconscious in a toilet cubicle at the Galashiels Transport Interchange with an uncapped needle and a backpack containing heroin, Selkirk Sheriff Court has been told.

William Devlin was taken by ambulance to hospital and a further search of his home in Hawick recovered more of the class A drug which had a total estimated street value of £3,600.

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of being in possession of diamorphine with intent to supply to another or others on the afternoon of December 9 last year.

Fiona Hamilton, prosecuting, explained how Devlin walked into the male toilets wearing a rucksack at 13.49 hours.

At 3.20pm a member of the public entered the toilets and noticed a man was lying on the ground in the first cubicle.

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Devlin was lying unconscious with an uncapped needle beside him and the witnessed climbed over the cubicle, got no response from him and an ambulance was summoned.

Police were also summoned and a search recovered a backpack containing a significant amount of brown powder and a mobile phone.

A search warrant was granted and more drugs were recovered, 27.44 grammes of heroin, from a house in Howdenbank, Hawick.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence until January 9 for a Criminal Justice Social Work Report and a Restriction of Liberty Order assessment.