West Lothian drug traffickers who ran massive street Valium operation jailed for 10 years

Kevin Ramage, 64, and Derek Wilson, 36, manufactured millions of Etizolam tablets, also known as street Valium, from one of three units on an industrial estate in Broxburn between July 2020 and December 2021.

On April 3, both men were sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh after being found guilty by a jury of being concerned in the manufacture and supply of controlled drugs following eight days of evidence.

One large pill press had the capacity to produce 120,000 tablets an hour while a smaller one could manufacture 40,000 tablets an hour | COPFS

Ramage, of Tranent, East Lothian, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison while Wilson, of Broxburn, was jailed for five years and six months. Wilson will also be subject to confiscation proceedings under Proceeds of Crime legislation to recover monies illegally obtained.

The court heard how police officers raided the units at Albyn Industrial Estate in December 2021 where a haul of 60,000 tablets, 20,000 fake tablets and powder capable of manufacturing a further 20,000 pills was uncovered. Police also discovered pill presses normally used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical drugs as well as drugs estimated to have a street value of £100,000.

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On the same day, police searched the homes of the two accused and removed a number of phones which were later examined. Analysis of the phones disclosed evidence of extensive drug dealing over a period of 18 months.

Moira Orr, who leads on Major Crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This was a coordinated effort to distribute significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs. These men are now serving prison sentences thanks to an extensive police operation, working with COPFS, to investigate a network of drug supply.

“We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements. With each case of this type, we can help reduce the harm these drugs inflict on those communities.”