Local men jailed after multi-million pound drugs bust

Two couriers snared with millions of pounds worth of drugs by police in Dumfriesshire have been jailed for 10 years.

David Murdoch, 56, and Graham McCulloch, 39, were caught following a large-scale cross border police probe last year.

They were stopped by police on the A74 at Ecclefechan on May 19. Murdoch was driving a van and McCulloch a BMW car.

When Murdoch's vehicle was searched, it had a hidden area in the back which was operated by a hydraulic system.

Police found inside 43 blocks of cocaine weighing 52kg.

There was a further seven kilogrammes of the drug in the BMW as well as well as the cash.

The maximum value of the cocaine was between £4,720,000 and £5,900,000.

The pair - who appeared via video-link - were sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday.

Murdoch, of Linwood, Renfrewshire, and McCulloch, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, earlier pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine between October 11 2019 and May 19 2020.

They also admitted to a charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act of possessing more than half a million pounds in cash.

Lady Stacey told them: "Couriers are essential as, otherwise, the drugs do not get to where they are intended.

"Anyone involved who travels up and down from London to Scotland plays a vital part.

"I am going to impose heavy sentences due to the time and amount involved."

The judge said they jail-term would have been 15 years each, but for the guilty pleas.

The pair were both with three-year Serious Crime Prevention Orders designed to tackle and restrict criminals when they are freed from prison.

Prosecutor Paul Kearney told an earlier hearing: "They accept being engaged in...the transporting and delivering of very large quantities of cocaine as well as the means of payment for the consignments.

“On the final two days, one of these consignments of cocaine - weighing 59 kilos - plus £409,595 and 289,500 in Euros were recovered from the car and van being used by them.

"They accept joint responsibility for the drugs and cash seized.”

Murdoch's lawyer Tony Lenehan said lorry driver's "line of work made him attractive" to those behind the drugs and he got involved due to "weakness".

Geoffrey Forbes, defending McCulloch, told the court: "His wife had been made redundant, he was tempted by this, but had no idea of the scale of it.

"These were two men leading ordinary lives beforehand...a stupid decision to get involved in this."

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