Re: stories from my travels around paisley 1 Month, 1 Week ago
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LATEST FROM GLASGOW SHERIFF COURT>>>>>>>>>
Gang guilty over £3.5m drug haul.
The men admitted being involved in the supply of cannabis resin Four men have admitted being involved in one of Scotland's biggest illegal drug operations.
The case at the High Court in Glasgow comes after police discovered more than a tonne (1,122kg) of cannabis resin valued at nearly £3.5m.
The discovery was made following a surveillance operation in July 2009.
John McHugh, 54, Joseph Boland, 54, both from Busby, Martin Gray, 41 from Ardrossan and Garry Ralph, 38, from Glasgow, will be sentenced later.
The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) said the gang, headed by John McHugh, imported the drugs from mainland Europe for onward supply in Scotland.
During an intensive surveillance operation on 24 July last year, officers watched as drugs, wrapped in 34 individual bales, were delivered by van to a printers at an industrial estate in Scotts Road, Paisley.
John McHugh and Joseph Boland were seen unloading the van, which inquiries later revealed was associated with a company run by McHugh.
When McHugh and Boland were arrested at the industrial unit, they were found with just under 800kg of cannabis resin, valued at £2.4m.
Martin Gray and Garry Ralph were both arrested after being seen taking possession of the drugs.
The operation led to the discovery of more than £3m worth of drugs, the largest single seizure by the SCDEA during 2009-10.
Det Ch Supt Allan Moffat, head of the investigation at SCDEA, said: "These men were intending to supply significant amounts of cannabis to parts of Scotland, and the seizures made during this investigation provide a clear indication of the level of profit these individuals would have generated from their criminal activity.
"Cannabis remains to be the most widely misused controlled drug in Scotland and represents a real threat to Scotland's communities.
"Too many of Scotland's communities are affected by the fear, intimidation and violence associated with the illegal drugs trade."
Re: stories from my travels around paisley 1 Month, 1 Week ago
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Coach passenger fighting for life after A66 accident.
Bus had picked up passengers in Paisley and Hamilton this morning.
A COACH passenger was left fighting for his life after the vehicle was in collision with a lorry carrying a wide load.
The accident took place around 11.15am on the A66, near to Gilling West, North Yorkshire, around five miles west of Scotch Corner. It led to the road being closed and diversions being set up.
The 53-year-old, who has not been named, suffered serious chest, abdominal and pelvic injuries in the crash which occurred on the road that links the North-East with Cumbria. He was flown by the Great North Air Ambulance to the James Cook Hospital, in Middlesbrough.
The victim was travelling on a Caledonian Travel coach, which was carrying adults and heading for Folkestone in Kent, when it was in a collision with the low loader.
The lorry involved in the collision was one of two travelling in convoy along the A66. They were heading west, while the bus headed east. A second passenger on the coach suffered less serious injuries in the accident.
The remaining passengers were taken from the scene by a replacement bus.
A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, which sent crews from Richmond, Ripon and neighbouring Durham to the scene, said: "The (lorry) went past the bus too close and ripped into the side of the bus. One male was unable to gain access off the bus and had a few injuries so our crews cut him out.
"We used hydraulic cutting equipment to release the male, aged 53, and he was taken to hospital with head and lung injuries."
Dr Simon LeClerc and paramedic Stuart Thompson, of the Great North Air Ambulance, treated the injured pair.
A spokesman for the service said: "We were called around 11am and airlifted the injured 53-year-old man to hospital. "He was off the coach and he had life-threatening injuries."
Caledonian Coaches said the bus had picked up passengers in Paisley, near Glasgow and Hamilton, both in Scotland before it crossed the border into England.
The crash site is bordered by farmland and overlooked by trees. Lorry drivers caught up in the incident were left stranded as they were unable to turn around.
