A pharmacy dispenser is facing prison after admitting stealing and selling drugs from the pharmacy in the east end of Glasgow where she worked.

Ann Marie Doyle, 44, of Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to nine charges of stealing and being involved in the supply of controlled drugs between February 2019 and December 2020.

Doyle, who worked at Tollcross Pharmacy, was caught after a colleague found 10 boxes of diazepam in her handbag in a communal staffing area which, according to the prosecution, were wrapped in cellophane.

The colleague reported it to their boss and an audit revealed nearly 25,000 pills, including 12,333 diazepam tablets and 12,357 dihydrocodeine painkillers, had gone missing over almost two years.

A police search of Doyle’s home resulted in the discovery of three mobile phones, one of which had 32 contacts asking her for drugs, including diazepam, dihydrocodeine, temazepam, morphine, diamorphine, fentanyl, pregabalin and tramadol.

According to the Daily Record, her lawyer said she was experiencing “financial problems” at the time. Doyle’s bail was continued pending sentencing in the new year.