Four men were remanded in custody last month at Glasgow High Court for drugs supply related offences, where drugs and cash valued at almost £200,000 was recovered.
The head of the local crime group, Sam Rodriguez, 29 years from Dumfries, has now been sentenced to eight years imprisonment
His supplier, and facilitator of significant drug supply to other areas of Scotland, Karl Hart, 36 years, from Birkenhead, Merseyside was sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment
Hart and Rodriguez pled guilty to supplying heroin in the Dumfries area with between half and one kilogram of heroin over a four month period during 2014.
An identified courier for the crime group, Geoffrey Hirst, 40 years, also from the Merseyside area had his sentence adjourned to a later date.
The recipient of one of the drugs packages, Robert Crosbie, 31 years from Dumfries was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
The offences were aggravated by those involved having an involvement in serious and organised crime.
All four changed their pleas during a recent trial at Glasgow High Court.
These sentences are the culmination of an eight month operation into the supply of controlled drugs in the Dumfries and Galloway area and other areas of Scotland.
Operation Woodson identified members of a local serious and organised crime group under the control of Rodriguez, who was responsible for flooding various parts of the region with heroin.
Local police officers carried out a series of searches at addresses in Dumfries where significant commodity was recovered.
Further assistance was then sought from officers from the Specialist Crime Division, who thereafter led the investigation, targeting Rodriguez and his suppliers.
Numerous arrests were made during the investigation and included the arrests of those who were assessed to be ‘sub dealers’ to the Operation Woodson crime group.
Craig Gordon, 36 years from Dumfries who was sentenced to two years.
Thomas Flynn, 28 years from Dumfries who was sentenced to 15 months.
Danny Ballard, 27 from Annan who was sentenced to 14 months
Ashleigh Skelton, 20 years from Kirkpatrick Fleming who was sentenced to four months.
Callum Skelton, 22 years from Kirkpatrick Fleming who was sentenced to 3 months
Shaun Ballard, 27 years from Annan who was sentenced to 20 months, and
Alexander Glancey from Glasgow who was sentenced to three years.
Drugs with a combined ‘street value’ of £110,000 were recovered from individuals in Dumfries and Galloway in the operation along with over £14,000 in cash. Drugs worth a further £70,000 were recovered from an address in Glasgow. Over 23 kilograms of Benzocaine – a known mixing agent for controlled drugs was also recovered.
Detective Inspector Mark Carruthers from Police Scotland’s, Specialist Crime Division said: “These latest sentences should send out a strong message to those involved in drug supply and serious and organised crime, that the police, our partner agencies, the judicial system and the community will not tolerate their behaviour.”
“Following on from the good work of our colleagues in Dumfries, we were able to target individuals who committed crimes against vulnerable individuals. With further assistance from police in Merseyside, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit and other areas of Scotland, we were able to identify and arrest those involved in a significant supply chain of controlled drugs into Scotland.
“The amount of misery that this type of activity brings to the streets of towns and villages across Dumfries and Galloway doesn’t bear thinking about and the effect that drugs has on our communities can be far reaching. Thankfully our communities are standing up to this filthy trade and letting us know when and where it is happening and we are thankful for that. Only when we all stand together can we hope to make a serious impression on the supply of illegal drugs and I would encourage anyone to pick up the phone and call us on 101 if they have any information which might help. Alternatively information can be passed to us anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
