A man found in possession of a large quantity of heroin has been convicted and jailed for drug offences.
At the High Court in Livingston today, Mark Hutchison was found guilty of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs after 3kg of heroin was recovered from his car in 2014.
During an ongoing operation to target drug dealing, officers stopped Hutchison’s vehicle on the northbound carriageway of the M74 near Junction 19 on 11th April where the Class A substances were found.
Further inquiry also linked the 35-year-old to 500g of heroin, which was recovered in Whitburn on the 2nd April 2014.
Hutchison was sentenced to six-years in prison.
Detective Inspector Graeme Naysmith from the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit said: “The recovery of such a significant amount of heroin from Mark Hutchison highlighted his role in the distribution of harmful drugs into our communities.
“We have no doubt that Hutchison was deeply involved in organised criminal activity and as a result of extensive surveillance and intelligence-gathering by the OCCTU, he was detained, charged and subsequently convicted for his crimes.
“Police Scotland continues to target serious and organised crime offenders as one of its top priorities and those responsible for crimes of this nature should be left in no doubt that we are using all resources at our disposal and working alongside our communities and relevant partners to bring you to justice.
“I would urge anyone with information relating to ongoing crime in their area to contact us on 101 or alternatively make an anonymous report to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
