Drugs mule jailed over £142k cannabis

A drug courier who helped transport 50 kilogrammes of cannabis resin with a maximum street value of £142,000 has been jailed for 16 months.

Francis O’Connor, 41, was snared during an undercover surveillance operation by the organised crime and counter terrorism unit of Police Scotland.

The High Court was told that following a tip-off that a large consignment of cannabis was to be imported into Scotland O’Connor and others were followed.

Around 9.45am on September 30, 2014 he was seen in a white transit van outside the TravelLodge Hotel at the M80 Stirling Services.

He moved items inside the van before driving off. Five minutes later he returned and parked beside a Mercedes Vito van.

O’Connor, of Bernadette Crescent, Carfin, then met up with the driver of the Mercedes van John Donaldson and handed him two large cardboard boxes.

These were then placed in the back of the Mercedes van. Donaldson drove off and was stopped by police at 10am.

They found 50 kilogrammes of cannabis resin divided into 200 blocks and forensic examination showed that O’Connor’s fingerprints on the boxes.

O’Connor , who has 13 previous convictions for assaults and road traffic offences. admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis resin on September 30, 2014.

The court was told that the maximum street value of the cannabis was £142,850.

Donaldson, who was sentenced in January, 2015, also admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin. He was jailed for 30 months.

Judge Graham Buchanan told O’Connor:‘This is a very serious offence because of the quantity and value of the cannabis resin. I have decided because of the seriousness only a sentence of imprisonment applies, but I have to take into account the sentence given to Mr Donaldson. He had a significant previous conviction for a previous drugs offence.”

Defence advocate Mark Moir said:“Mr O’Connor was acting as a courier.

“He has poor judgement and makes poor choices.

“He has pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of the drug on a single day.