Man Caught In A £250,000 Cannabis Bust Jailed

A man caught in a £250,000 cannabis bust just months after a fund raising drive to get him life saving treatment is behind bars.

Gareth Harnett was snared in June 2013 after police swooped in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.

The 32 year-old was held shortly after suffering a heart attack while on holiday in Thailand.

He had gone without travel insurance before friends, family and even strangers came to his aid by raising around £7,500 to get him treatment.

Harnett's plight featured on the then ITV breakfast show Daybreak.

A photo on his Facebook page showed him lying in his hospital bed clutching a message saying "Thank you" to well wishers.

But, soon after recovering and returning to the UK, Harnett turned to crime.

Harnett was today/yesterday locked up for three years at the High Court in Glasgow after he pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Harnett and 45 year-old John O'Donnell were clocked together in Clydebank on June 14 2013 after police got a tip off about a drug deal.

The pair swapped vans before O'Donnell was tailed to an industrial estate in the town.

He collected several large bags from a unit there and then returned to meet Harnett, where they were spotted shaking hands.

Harnett then drove off in the van with the bags heading south on the M74 towards Carlisle.

He was later stopped and police immediately detected a "very strong smell of cannabis" from inside the vehicle.

Prosecutor David Nicolson said officers seized 60 "heat sealed" packages from inside the bags - all containing the class B drug.

Mr Nicolson told how the haul had a potential street value of £257,100.

Hartnett's lawyer Louise Arrol told how he had returned from Thailand with "significant debts" due to other personal problems.

Carpet store manager O'Donnell, also of Clydebank, was also today locked up for three years after he pled guilty to the same charge.

The fundraiser for Harnett - now of Ramsgate, Kent - had been launched after he fell ill in January 2013.

He collapsed with a heart attack while on holiday in Phuket, Thailand. However, Harnett had no travel insurance.

The appeal to get him vital treatment sparked nationwide media interest as friends and relatives rallied to raise cash.

After getting life-saving help, Harnett said: "I am lucky to be alive - I am told I flatlined twice after the heart attack.

"I owe everything to my mates who were with me who put up thousands of pounds initially to get me into a well-equipped hospital where I stood a chance.

"People back home in Thanet then started donating and raising money straight away to keep the fund going. I cannot thank them enough."