A DRUGS courier was caught with £35,000 of cocaine after trying to escape and crashing his car.
Mario Houston, 28, was spotted collecting a suspicious package from a van by undercover cops acting on a tip off.
Police swooped as he got back into his car with the drugs, but Houston drove off at speed while one officer was trying to pull the key out of his ignition.
He tried to get away by driving up a kerb and along a pavement, but smashed his Volkswagen Golf into two parked cars.
Tests revealed the suspicious package contained cocaine.
Houston pled guilty to supplying the Class-A drug and driving without due care and attention yesterday (Tuesday) at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Fiscal depute Melanie Ward said police were poised in Edinburgh’s Lindsay Place after hearing a drugs trade would take place on July 3.
“Rather than surrendering, he drove off”
She said: “Police had got information that a handover of drugs was going to happen.
“He went up to a van and came back to his car with a package.
“Police blocked the front and back of his car to try and stop him driving off.
“An officer tried to pull out the car keys but rather than surrendering he drove off, mounting a pavement before colliding with two cars.”
Houston was bailed by Sheriff Neil MacKinnon and will be sentenced next month.
