Drugs boss behind £4m cocaine haul jailed for nine years
A CRIME boss has been jailed for nine years after being caught with £4million of cocaine.
Gary Morris, 41, ran a gang which flooded Scotland with the class A drug until it was snared in a massive police surveillance operation.
He was so busy running a network of dealers across the Central Belt that he complained he was having to ‘work every hour’ to keep up with demand. Lord Summers jailed him for nine years and four months and imposed a serious crime prevention order on him at the High Court in Dundee yesterday.
Passing sentence, the judge said: ‘You pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine over a period of one year and six months. This was aggravated by your conduct being connected to serious organised crime.
‘You were arrested after a period of covert surveillance. You ran a supply chain in Scotland, and at your behest a group of men distributed drugs throughout the Central Belt.’
He added: ‘Some days you were taking 100 calls and texts. The drugs were stored in specially adapted gas canisters and kept in various safe houses. Mobile phones were encrypted to conceal your activities from law enforcement agencies.
‘To conceal the true nature of your work you set up a company which was a sham and designed to conceal the true source of your income.
‘The drugs recovered had a wholesale value of £1.5million but I can reasonably proceed on the basis that the street value would be in the region of £4million.’
Lord Summers noted that four members of the gang who worked for Morris had already been jailed for a total of more than 22 years.
He said: ‘These people worked for you. They were people you used to operate the supply network. Your culpability is greater and should be reflected in your sentence.’ Morris, of Carluke, Lanarkshire, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine between September 25, 2018, and March 18 last year. The drug was supplied at numerous locations in East Kilbride, Glasgow, Wishaw, Bellshill, Newtongrange and Dalkeith, as well as the Toby Carvery in Strathclyde Park, Motherwell, and Newbattle Bowling Club.
Advocate depute Chris Fyffe told the court: ‘This was a significant, serious and sophisticated operation.’
The serious crime prevention order will impose restrictions on Morris in jail and after his release.
He will be limited in his use of communications devices, in his ability to retain and dispose of cash and other assets, and will have to report regularly to police.
Donald Findlay, QC, defending, said the father of four – who previously worked as a builder – had made a full confession and wanted to move on after serving his prison sentence.
Mr Findlay said: ‘He is a pragmatist. He absolutely accepts he got involved in the drug world and he recognises the consequences of him being involved.
‘He realises he has to bear the responsibility and he regrets the effect all of this will have had on a number of people.’
Mr Findlay added: ‘He wants to start afresh with his young family and sever all contact with this kind of life. He does not want to spend the rest of his life in prison.’
‘Sophisticated operation’