Lottery winner who blew £100,000 scooped from scratchcard now facing jail after being caught with huge stash of drugs

A LOTTERY jackpot winner faces jail after he was caught with high purity cocaine worth more than £150,000 in his home.

Jack Tanbini, who scooped £100,000 from a winning scratchcard when he was a teenager, has been warned he faces a substantial prison sentence.

Detectives discovered a huge haul of the drug and more than £20,000 cash in Tanbini’s home during two raids on the property within a few weeks.

Tanbini was remanded in custody at the High Court in Dundee after he admitted being concerned in the supply of Class A cocaine during the autumn of 2022.

Lord Summers deferred sentence for reports to the High Court in Edinburgh on January 8 and said: “It is inevitable he will serve a substantial period in prison.”

Advocate depute David Logan told the court: “He has a schedule of previous convictions for a number of offences, but he has never served a custodial sentence.

“Two of those were for possession of drugs, but both related to cannabis.

“On 22 August 2022, a search warrant was granted, based on intelligence that he was involved in dealing drugs.

“He was the registered occupant at the address in Easson’s Angle, Dundee.

“At 10.30am on 24 August the search was executed and officers were admitted to the property by his partner.

“The accused was traced in a VW Golf. He had two mobile phones on his lap.

“Officers were able to take in a snatch view of a message which appeared to relate to the sale of illegal drugs.

“The accused volunteered that what they were looking for was in a bedroom cupboard and was nothing to do with his partner.

“A bag with a block of white powder was recovered along with paraphernalia including scales.”

The block was found to be 80 per cent pure cocaine, weighing over 750 grams, and with a potential street value of £142,000.

A second bag of the drug, weighing 60 grams, and worth over £11,000 was also recovered during the first raid.

Police recovered nearly £7,000 cash during the first raid and discovered another £13,415 cash when they returned to raid his home again on September 28 2022.

No more drugs were found.

Mr Logan told the court: “The total value of the drugs involved was very high.”

Tanbini, 28 – who admitted a reduced charge after originally being accused of dealing the drug for four years – asked the court to grant bail but was refused by the judge.

In 2019, Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Tanbini was caught with around £1,000 worth of cannabis after being stopped by police for dangerous driving.

The court heard he drove his car on the wrong side of the road, mounted a kerb and overtook a bus, and he was banned from driving for 21 months.

He admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without insurance and possession of cannabis – and told the court he had already blown most of his teenage lottery win.

‘FLIPPANT ATTITUDE’

Sheriff Derek Reekie told him: “Through good fortune you have not had to work for a long time as a result of that scratchcard win.

“I get the impression you have a flippant attitude to these offences.”

Cash and carry apprentice Tanbini bought his £1 scratchcard when a shopkeeper refused to let him pay for crisps after he’d delivered his groceries.

He claimed he would use the windfall for driving lessons and to buy a car, but by 2019 his solicitor Jim Caird revealed Tanbini had spent almost every penny.

Mr Caird said: “He has had five years where he hasn’t had to work. He has something like £2,000 left.”