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Gangster heroin case collapses
A gangster who was taped discussing the murder of a rival has escaped gun and drug charges after the case against him collapsed.
Jamie Campbell was accused of being in possession of a large quantity of heroin, a handgun and a silencer.
Police made the discovery in a garden next to his home.
But the 35-year-old – who was involved in a tit-for-tat turf war which saw his dad shot dead – won’t be standing in the dock. The case collapsed as prosecutors shelved proceedings.
Campbell, who is linked to car washes and a business associated with growing cannabis, was arrested when officers swooped on his home in Carntyne, Glasgow, in January 2014.
The gangland heavy, who likes to fly pigeons, lives in a former council-owned flat which is protected by a security camera.
Police discovered heroin and a firearm in his neighbour’s back garden. At the time of the raid, they said the drugs haul was worth up to £1million. Campbell was arrested in connect ion with the find and appeared in court.
His associate George Leighton, 25, of Shotts, Lanarkshire, was arrested days later. He pled guilty to possessing a gun and supplying heroin worth £ 69,000 at the High Court in Glasgow in April 2015 after his DNA was discovered on packaging. He was jailed for seven years and eight months.
Leighton had also been charged with shooting convicted drug dealer Darren Higgins in January 2014 but had a not guilty plea to attempted murder accepted.
But the case against Campbell was only dropped in May.
A source said: “It was thought the Crown Office had a solid case against Campbell. He has strong criminal connections in Glasgow’s east end and a long history with the police.
“When drugs and a gun were found so close to his home, people thought he’d be off the streets for a long time.”
It’ s the second time prosecutors have failed to convict Campbell at the High Court in Glasgow.
In 2004, he was charged with murdering Kevin Clark. He was accused of shooting him in the back and slashing his head. Campbell’s dad James was also charged with the killing. Detectives had the pair as prime suspects and bugged the family home.
Officers thought they had hit the jackpot when listening devices picked up the father and son discussing the murder. They were heard talking about a gun and destroying evidence.
But when the case went to court, they claimed they knew pol ice had them under surveillance and were joking about Kevin’s death.
Campbell was found not guilty and his father James got a not proven verdict.
James was shot dead in Glasgow’s Drumchapel in March 2006 at the height of a bitter power struggle for control of the drugs trade in Glasgow’s east end.
He had survived a previous attempt on his life months earlier.
Campbell – who drives a Ford Transit van – also survived a gun attempt on his life.
He’d been blamed for a knife attack on John “Cocky” Galloway in Parkhead.
Campbell is a former director of East End Hydroponics – a store that sells equipment associated with the growth of cannabis – in Glasgow’s Tollcross. He is also linked to car washes in the area.
A source said: “Jamie has a reputation for violence and is considered by many as a bully.
“He isn’t known for going out much, he prefers to fly pigeons. The clothes he wears and cars he drives aren’t flash. But he’s very well known in certain circles.”
The Crown Office said: “It’s the duty of the Crown to keep cases under review.
“Following a full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available and admissible ev idence, Crown Counsel instructed that there should be no criminal proceedings at this time.”
Invest igat ions into the murders of Campbell and Clark remain open. Police Scotland said: “All unresolved homicides are kept under review and are subject to inquiries from time to time.”