Three separate cannabis supply cases in Scottish courts highlight a pattern of couriers and small-time dealers facing justice, with sentences ranging from deferred to imprisonment.
Yan Ling Lin, 47, and Qin Ben Chen, 42, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis in Muir Street, Motherwell, and elsewhere on February 7 last year, according to multiple reports. Police were tipped off about the pair who were travelling on a London to Glasgow train. The train arrived in Motherwell at 7.20pm and they got off. Plain clothes police officers detected a strong smell of cannabis from two suitcases they were carrying. The woman and man were detained but the cases were locked and they refused to provide codes to open them. Eventually the officers forced them open and found vacuum bags of cannabis inside. More herbal material was discovered in a rucksack Chen was carrying. The total weight of cannabis seized was almost 30kg. It had a wholesale value of £138,000 but if sold in street deals it could have fetched £298,600. The police officers also seized two phones and more than £800 in cash. Lawyers for the accused said they didn't have permission to live in the UK and had agreed to be couriers because they needed money. Lin was jailed for two years while Chen was handed a sentence of 97 weeks. The sentences were backdated as they have been in custody since their arrest. It's expected they will be deported when the jail terms end.
Social media influencer Ellie Crampsie, who is from Broomhouse, Glasgow, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis after returning from Thailand and now faces a jail sentence, according to multiple reports. Crampsie was discovered with over 17 kilos of the Class B substance hidden in her luggage as she returned home from an exotic holiday in Thailand last year. Crampsie was arrested at the airport, and she admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis to others when she appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, 26 March. Crampsie, from Broomhouse, Glasgow, is a well-known social media figure and influencer with a strong presence in the city's nightlife and events scene, where she promotes numerous brands. The 23-year-old woman also operates her own beauty business called Brows by Ellie, specialising in styling and treatments. Emma Laing, prosecuting, informed the court that Crampsie had travelled on an Air France flight to the Scottish capital from Thailand via Paris and was stopped by Border Force officers on 16 April last year. The court heard that airport officials uncovered 17 separate sealed packages containing 17.7kg of cannabis, with the total value estimated between £115,000 and £151,000.
Andrea Dickson, 45, claimed to be a small time dealer and protested she was only storing the large consignment for someone else. Police found two suitcases stuffed with cannabis worth £70,000 when they raided a Wishaw mum's home. She appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis at her home in Meadowburn Road on February 4 last year. Katie Allen, prosecuting, said police officers went to the house after being tipped off that Dickson had illegal drugs. She let them in and the officers noticed she was 'very nervous and shaking'. She showed them to the kitchen where cigarettes containing green herbal material were found in a jar in a cupboard. Also recovered in the kitchen were two suitcases containing 12 vacuum-packed bags of herbal material. This tested positive for cannabis. The total weight of cannabis was 7.2kg. It had a wholesale value of £27,365 and a potential street value of £70,000. Dickson appeared in court with no previous convictions. Sheriff John Speir deferred sentence on mum of two Dickson until later this month for background reports and an electronic tagging assessment.
Several unknowns remain in these cases. The identity of the person for whom Dickson was storing cannabis has not been disclosed. The outcome of Crampsie's sentencing is pending after the social work report. The source of the cannabis in each case remains unclear, and it is not known if there are any connections between the three separate incidents.