Jury return not guilty verdict after court hears conflicting evidence
BY WILMA RILEY A GANGSTER accused of trafficking heroin with a street value of £7.8million from Greece to Scotland yesterday walked free from court.
Russell Stirton, 58, from Milngavie, denied handing over two holdalls containing 34kg of the drug at a service station in Greece to HGV driver Peter Cameron in November, 2012.
Cameron and his co-driver Samuel Wilson were caught with the heroin hidden in a load of breadsticks when they crossed to the port of Bari in Italy two days later, and were jailed for six years each.
They were supposed to travel with the heroin to the UK and on to Scotland.
In court, Cameron said he had been handed the bags of heroin by Stirton but the jury did not believe his story.
He told the High Court in Glasgow he had only glimpsed the drug courier for a few seconds.
When asked by Police Scotland detectives in 2015 to pick out the person from photographs he claimed it was Stirton.
Stirton was in Greece at the time on holiday but denied ever being at the service station where the handover took place.
Cameron’s co-driver Samuel Wilson told the jury that the drugs were delivered to him by a man of Moroccan appearance.
Wilson added that Cameron was not there as he had gone for a walk.
Yesterday, Stirton thanked the jury as he left the court.
Judge Lady Rae told him: “In view of the verdict, you are free to go.” VOTED