Man, who fled to Portugal after drug money conviction, jailed three years later

A father-of-three who was involved in transporting £229,520 of drugs money is finally behind bars.

Kevin Kelly, 46, left Scotland for Portugal after the offence in 2014 and was arrested when he returned to Scotland for a family wedding this summer.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that on October 23, 2014 police received a tip-off that a large sum of money from the sale of cannabis was going to be transported from Scotland to England by car.

Kelly was seen by undercover police driving from 11 Dunlop Grove, Uddingston, to Dusakaith Street in Easterhouse,, Glasgow. Kelly then handed the cash and a mobile phone to the driver of a another car.

Later in the day police received another tip-off saying that the driver had the money and was heading south. This vehicle was spotted near junction 21, on the M74, heading south.

Over an hour later the vehicle entered Todhill services, Cumbria. The car was stopped and the woman driver was detained.

Both the vehicle and the driver were taken to Loreburn Police Office, Dumfries. The car was then searched and a mobile phone, a sum of money.

The money was counted and totalled £229,520. Kelly's DNA was found on the mobile phone.

The court heard that Kelly returned to Scotland from Portugal to attend a family wedding.

Police carried out checks at a address in Paisley where Kelly was suspected of staying On August 15, 2017 he was detained and arrested.

In court, he admitted being involved in the transfer and removal of criminal money from Scotland on October 23, 2014.

Defence QC John Scullion said: 'The money was not his. He was given a package to deliver.'

Judge Lady Stacey deferred sentence on Kelly, who is in custody, until January next year for background reports.