Six men are accused of involvement in an international cocaine trafficking ring that saw the illegal drug smuggled into the UK hidden in banana boxes – they deny all the charges. The High Court in Glasgow heard a joint minute of agreed evidence that stated a home in Robroyston was found to contain £1.15m in cash on April 23, 2020.
Police found a total of £996,060 of the cash was kept in heat sealed plastic packages inside four Lidl supermarket bags. The DNA and thumb prints of Stephen O’Donnell were found on some of the bags and a search of his home found a furrther £76,320 in cash. O’Donnell pled guilty to possession of criminal property of £1,092,290 and received a two-year prison sentence.
James Stevenson, 59, is accused of masterminding a worldwide drug smuggling ring and is said to have directed a trafficking and money laundering operation which spanned the UK, Spain, Ecuador and the luxury Nurai Island resort in Abu Dhabi. Prosecutors have listed a total of 14 charges in a seven page indictment of accusations which span between January and September 2020. Stevenson denies the crimes and has blamed others, including a man who was jailed for six years for dealing cocaine, in his special defence.
The joint minute of agreement states that John Gurie was detained after being stopped by police in his car on April 21, 2020. His home in East Kilbride was searched where cash and three blocks of high-purity cocaine were found. A search of Gurie’s van parked outside a .