Heroin gang members jailed for 17 years

THREE members of a drugs gang who were involved in bringing heroin into Scotland have been jailed for more than 17 years in total.

The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) led a six-month investigation into the activities of the organised crime group operating in the Lothians, Fife and Glasgow.

Over a three-week period in April 2011, officers intercepted the Scottish arm of the cross-border group and seized more than 16.5lbs of heroin with an estimated street value of £637,000.

The agency said yesterday’s court action takes the number of people jailed as a result of Operation Lomida to seven, with a total sentence for the gang members of almost 40 years.

Mohammed Younas, 41, from Edinburgh, was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow today, the SCDEA said.

David Clark, 45, also from Edinburgh admitted possession of drugs and was jailed for four years and two months while Lee Chalmers, 24, from Fife, pleaded guilty to the same charge and was ordered to spend three years and four and a half months behind bars.

Detective Chief Superintendent Athol Aitken, head of investigations for the SCDEA, said: “Today’s court result sends a further message to those involved in organised crime that law enforcement agencies in Scotland are determined to detect and dismantle their criminal enterprises and bring those involved to justice.

“The individuals who were jailed today were involved in supplying significant amounts of controlled drugs.”