A drug dealer from the North-east who was freed early from prison was back behind bars today.
James McDonald was let out of prison four months before his last sentence for dealing class A drugs was complete.
Less than two years later, in November last year, police were tipped off that McDonald was dealing again.
Officers swooped on the Peterhead man in his car and discovered bags of drugs worth more than £10,000.
Officers then discovered a further £48,000 in cash at his home - with large amounts of money hidden behind skirting boards. Yesterday Lord Brailsford sentenced McDonald to spend five years and four months behind bars at the High Court in Edinburgh.
This was reduced from eight years for an early guilty plea.
And the 42-year-old was also ordered to serve 195 days of his previous sentence before his latest stretch.
The judge said: "Clearly the court must take a very serious view of that matter."
Unemployed McDonald, of Blackhills Farm Cottages, Kininmonth, Peterhead, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine between January 1 and November 8 last year.
The court heard he was previously jailed for four years for drug offences in 2003 but the sentence was increased to six years at the appeal court. McDonald also had £10,000 in crime profits confiscated from him.
Advocate depute Graeme Jessop said the dealer was freed from prison in May 2005 although sentence ran until September this year. Police were later told McDonald was involved in drugs again .
Defence counsel Shahid Latif said McDonald's crimes could be traced back to tragedies in his life.
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