Gang planned to 'flood' Inverness with drugs

Six of the gang members, from top left, Donald Dunbar, Stephen Kelly, Karen Reynolds, Danielle Finlay, Kieran Adams and Sean Gordon

A gang planned to "flood" Inverness with drugs, the High Court in Glasgow has heard.

Cocaine, heroin and Etizolam were obtained in Glasgow and members of the gang were caught by police in Glasgow, Inverness, Stirling and Drumnadrochit.

The five men and two women have all admitted being involved in the supply of drugs between November 2018 and March this year.

The drugs were worth a total of almost £650,000, the court heard.

Donald Dunbar, 61, Kenneth MacKenzie, 25, Sean Gordon, 28, Stephen Kelly, 31, and Karen Reynolds, 51, all from Glasgow, and Danielle Finlay, 30, from Hamilton, and Kieran Adams, 28, from Clydebank, were remanded in custody.

They will be sentenced next month.

'A long time in jail'

Prosecutor Richard Goddard QC told the court the case related to the "large scale distribution" of drugs to the Inverness area.

The court was told Adams and Kelly ran the business and used MacKenzie, Dunbar, Finlay and Gordon as couriers.

Reynolds' Glasgow flat was used to store drugs.

Mr Goddard said: "Adams and Kelly possessed bulk quantities that they would supply to couriers for forward distribution under their direction.

"Both Kelly and Adams were found in possession of significant quantities of controlled drugs."

The High Court in Glasgow heard the drugs involved were sourced in Glasgow

The court heard that MacKenzie, Dunbar, Gordon and Finlay were caught following tip-offs to the police. There was also undercover surveillance on members of the gang.

Finlay's car was stopped at Drumnadrochit near Inverness in January by police.

An administrative assistant with Argyll and Clyde Council at the time, she was asked if there were any drugs in the car.

She replied: "What's in the car is a long time in jail."

Drugs worth £151,040 were found in a rucksack on her front passenger seat.

Hidden under bed

MacKenzie was arrested at Inverness Railway Station in November last year and cocaine and heroin was found in his holdall with a value of £78,320.

Dunbar was stopped at the car park of a services area at Stirling in December last year.

A search of his car revealed cocaine worth £51,500 and heroin with a value of £66,400.

Gordon was stopped on the A9 at Tomatin south of Inverness in February. He had cocaine and heroin with a value of £99,560 hidden under the boot liner of his car.

Heroin was among the drugs involved

Adams and Kelly were the subject of undercover surveillance.

Adams was detained outside a hotel in Inverness in February. He had £8,300 of cocaine on him and Etizolam pills worth £56,183 were found in a nearby cottage he had been using.

Kelly was caught in Glasgow in March with a rucksack containing cocaine and heroin with a value of £30,290.

A search of Reynolds' flat uncovered thousands of Etizolam pills worth £105,700 hidden under the bed. Police also found £2,300 worth of cocaine.

Police Scotland has welcomed the convictions.

Det Insp William Nimmo said the drug trade often exploited "the most vulnerable members of society".