Marines admit role in drugs operation

Apair of Royal Marine Commandos have admitted being involved in a £300,000 drugs operation.

Grant Broadfoot, 29, and Stuart Bryant, 31, were caught using a Ministry of Defence-owned van to transport cannabis from England to Scotland on June 3 2020.

The pair, with 30 vacuumsealed bags, were caught by police in Mount Vernon, Glasgow, following “reliable and credible intelligence”.

Broadfoot also took advantage of his role as an ammunitions storeman to sell ammunition from HM Faslane naval base to potential buyers using encrypted mobile phone chats.

He boasted he could use his position to source ammunition and arrange transport using vehicles owned by the MoD.

Broadfoot’s accommodation at Faslane was raided and ammunition was recovered from a carrier bag.

Broadfoot pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to being involved in serious organised crime, which included offering to supply cannabis as well as the sale and supply of ammunition.

Bryant, of Galston, East Ayrshire, admitted producing cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

The crimes took place between November 2019 and June 2020.

Broadfoot’s father, Ian Broadfoot, 62, pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

The court heard the younger Broadfoot was caught in Operation Final, which was an investigation into him.

The Transit van he drove and a Renault van driven by Bryant stopped beside each other in the city and police watched as a black holdall was handed between them.

They were stopped and the drugs, worth around £114,000, were recovered from both vehicles.

Grant Broadfoot’s thenhome in Baillieston was raided and £27,370 of cash was found in a brown box.

A search of his father’s property in Mount Vernon uncovered £21,030 in mixed notes, a vacuum sealer machine and a bag of cannabis – 182 grammes worth around £1,000 – as well as other drug paraphernalia in his garage.

Bryant told officers he was told to pick up “unknown” items near an MoD training camp in Merseyside in exchange for money.

He stated he was “suffering significant financial difficulty” and Grant Broadfoot offered him cash to carry out the task.

Prosecutor John McElroy said: “The maximum financial community impact if all cannabis recovered was divided into street deals has the potential to realise approximately £301,820.”

Grant Broadfoot’s accommodation at Faslane was searched and a carrier bag containing live ammunition was recovered.

Mr McElroy said: “In April 2020 Grant appears to be offering to supply ammunition.”

The accused was quoted as telling a potential buyer: “Put the feelers out and if you get a bite I’ll get them. I’m in control of the ammunition.”

Bryant’s conversations also revealed he had “a much bigger role in transporting drugs” and was compared to Pablo Escobar by the contact.

Sentence was deferred, pending background reports, until next month by judge Lady Stacey.

Grant Broadfoot, of Tollcross in Glasgow, and Bryant were remanded in custody.

Ian Broadfoot was released on bail.

SUPPLY: Ammunition was taken from Faslane naval base.