Dads jailed for dealing drugs

TWO middle-aged fathers from Oban were jailed this week for dealing drugs worth more than £1,600.

Many who knew the men as neighbours and friends have called the crime unbelievable, as they were not high profile drug users but family men who held down jobs and were part of the wider community.

Iain MacEwan, an HGV driver from Oban, pled guilty to collecting drugs in a car park in Bowling, near Glasgow, before dropping the ‘package’ in Oban. He was sent to prison for eight months on Tuesday morning.

Co-accused Lawrie Campbell, 52, was sentenced to seven months for having amphetamines in his possession with the intent to supply others.

The men appeared in Oban Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

Father of three MacEwan, 44, of Pinmacher, Polvinster Road, worked for Oban Express, and had been an HGV driver for 23 years when police were alerted by an eyewitness who saw him pull into Littlemill Court in Bowling.

The eyewitness believed she had seen an illegal transaction and contacted the police. MacEwan was then witnessed by officers who saw him arrive in Oban.

He drove to Glengallan Road where co-accused Campbell, of 7 Jura Road, Soroba, handed over a plastic bag.

The bag contained almost one kilogram of amphetamine. Campbell admitted paying £ 800 for half the drugs while the other half would be sold on.

MacEwan was sacked by Oban Express on Monday. His solicitor, Kevin McGinness, said MacEwan knew his behaviour was reckless and stupid.

He also claimed MacEwan did not know what was in the package and hadn’t asked the man from whom he picked up the package.

Sheriff Ruth Anderson QC said she didn’t believe his evidence. She said; ‘A man of your age is sent to pick up a package in Glasgow and you don’t ask what it is. You are just doing someone a favour.’

During the sentencing hearing, Campbell’s defence agent, said he was making ‘progress’ in giving up a 15-year addiction to amphetamines.

Campbell lived with his wife and daughter, and he claimed they had no idea about his ad- diction or his selling of amphetamines. His place of work wrote to the sheriff to say that while they did not know about the drug use in the first place, they had noticed an improvement in the storeman’s work.

Sheriff Anderson said the two men had failed to prove their behaviour had changed because they would not tell police the names of the people who supplied the drugs to them.

The sheriff added: ‘I have thought very carefully about this matter. Albeit the court has heard about the lack of knowledge of the drugs in possession, you both colluded to bring drugs into Oban. You abused your position to do so.

‘ You both put illegal drugs into the supply chain.’

As they were led from the dock, the families of both men, who were in court, wept.

After the trial, a former neighbour of one of the men said it was ‘absolutely unbelievable’. The man, who did not want to be named, said: ‘These were men we knew and worked with.

‘They held down long-term jobs and to all intents and purposes were good family men. But instead they were supplying dangerous drugs into the community.’