Businessman cleared of international heroin conspiracy

Russell Stirton lost a long-running proceeds of crime case in 2012

A businessman believed to have a history of involvement in drug dealing, has been cleared of trying to bring heroin with a street value of almost £8m into Scotland.

Russell Stirton, 58, was accused of handing 34kg of the drug to a lorry driver at a service station in Greece.

But he walked free after a jury found the case against him not proven.

Outside the High Court in Glasgow Mr Stirton said: "I have always maintained my innocence."

"Throughout this whole process the police have been persecuting my children."

Hidden in breadsticks

Mr Stirton, of Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire denied handing over two holdalls containing the Class A drug at a service station in Greece to HGV driver Peter Cameron on 22 November 2012.

Two days later Cameron and his co-driver Samuel Wilson were caught red handed with the heroin hidden in a load of breadsticks when they crossed over to the port of Bari in Italy.

Both men were jailed for six years.

They were supposed to travel with the heroin back to the UK and on to Scotland.

In court, Cameron claimed that he had been handed the bags of heroin by Mr Stirton, but the jury did not believe his story.

He told the jury he had only glimpsed the drug courier for a few seconds during the handover.

But, when asked by Police Scotland detectives three years later in 2015 to pick out the person from a sheet of photographs he claimed it was Mr Stirton.

Moroccan man

Mr Stirton was in Greece at the time on holiday, but denied ever being at the service station where the handover took place.

Cameron's co-driver Samuel Wilson told the jury that the drugs were delivered to him by a man of Moroccan appearance.

Wilson added that Cameron was not there as he had gone for a walk.

Judge Lady Rae told him: "In view of the jury's verdict you are free to go."

During the trial evidence was also heard evidence from Matthew Edward, 52, who was jailed for 12 years for his part the drug operation.

Edward, who is a prisoner at Castle Huntly, told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC that he did not know Mr Stirton.

'Drunken gibberish'

Police bugged Edward's flat and the jury was played a tape in which someone in the room mentions the name Russell Dickson and then Russell Stirton.

Edward is then heard to say: "He is with me now, in that place abroad."

Mr Prentice said: "What did you mean by that?"

Mr Edward replied: "I've absolutely no idea.

"It sounds like drunken gibberish.

"I've got several friends called Russell and I wasn't talking about the man in the dock in that conversation."

Proceeds of crime

In 2012 a judge ruled assets worth £922,000 were to be seized from Mr Stirton and his late friend Alexander Anderson.

The pair, who were targeted by police in 2004, were believed to have been involved in the illegal drugs trade, extortion, and money laundering.

Neither was prosecuted but the Crown pursued them over alleged criminality through proceeds of crime legislation.

After a lengthy legal battle, both men have been ordered to hand over three homes worth almost £1m.

When no criminal case against the men was brought, the Crown pursued them in civil court under proceeds of crime legislation.