A trio of Easter-Ross men were involved in a £650,000 drugs enterprise operating from secluded Highland “stash sites”.
Alasdair Finlayson, 26, Daniel Degan 32, and Cameron Ross, 22, were snared following a police operation on August 6 2020.
The gang stored drugs, equipment and cash at Fyrish, Munlochy and Glenglass, hidden under moss and vegetation.
Police kept tabs on leader Finlayson as well as Cameron Ross as they accessed the hidden hauls which were later seized.
Finlayson was also seen at one of the stash sites with a man of interest to English authorities handing over a weighted bag.
Finlayson, Degan and Cameron Ross pled guilty to charges of being in the supply of controlled drugs at the High Court in Glasgow.
A fourth Easter Ross man, Ryan Ross, 28, meantime, admitted acquiring and possessing criminal property in the form of cash.
The court heard the operation was uncovered after Scottish police worked with English counterparts to target dealers who travelled north of the border.
Officers honed in on those involved in the circulation of drugs in the Highlands.
Prosecutor Michael MacIntosh said: “The operation that was ultimately detected involved the use of rural wooded areas as ‘stash sites’ to conceal and store controlled drugs, cash and associated equipment such as bags, gloves and bulking agents.
“Finlayson is assessed to be the individual in charge of the operation, travelling to, from and between the various stash sites, intromitting directly with both cash and controlled drugs at the stash sites, and selling controlled drugs directly to customers.”
Man ‘in charge’ had drugs debts
The hearing was told Finlayson was a drugs user who had built up a debt with those higher up the food chain.
A man of interest to English authorities was tailed by police to a forest track in Fyrish, near Alness, on January 4 2020.
He was seen to receive a weighted bag by Finlayson and heard discussing “£67,950” with him.
The man checked into a hotel room in Inverness which was searched after he left and found to contain plastic as well as sandwich bags.
He was followed to a car park near Newcastle five days later and found with a bag containing £64,910 in cash – some of which had Scottish banknotes.
The following month, one of the man’s associates met Finlayson in a car and travelled to the Fyrish site.
Finlayson was spotted going into the woods before being collected while wearing a pair of latex gloves.
The second man was later stopped in Stockton on Tees with £66,960 in cash – which also included Scottish banknotes.
Cannabis and cocaine stashed at Fyrish
Police searched the area of the Fyrish site meantime.
Mr MacIntosh: “Officers found a series of areas where clumps of moss had been moved in order to create hides in which was found controlled drugs, cash, bags, gloves, scales and bulking agents.”
They recovered cannabis and cocaine which had the potential to realise £204,900.
The cash found amounted to a total of £15,000.
Finlayson’s DNA was found on latex gloves as well as the money.
Surveillance continued into the next month and Finlayson was tracked to a lay-by beyond an outdoor centre in Munlochy.
Mr MacIntosh: “Officers searched a wooded area near to that lay-by and detected a further stash site where drugs and other paraphernalia were concealed under moss and vegetation.”
The cannabis and cocaine recovered if subdivided had the potential to realise £31,440.
Cameron Ross was tracked to a forest track in Glenglass which contained drugs and paraphernalia under moss and vegetation on June 10 2020.
Some of the cocaine recovered at the stash site had 76% purity.
The potential realisation for the total cocaine recovered and seized was £284,300.
Dealer’s panic when he couldn’t find drugs
Cameron Ross returned to the stash site two days later and was seen to search for the seized drugs while “panicked.”
He was spotted on a phone stating “f***” and “I can’t find it.”
Officers raided the homes of all involved on August 6 2020.
Finlayson’s property contained mobile phones, SIM cards and a resealable bag with traces of cocaine inside.
Technology seized had evidence of the operation taking place with Finlayson showing concern that he was being followed by the authorities.
Finlayson was also noted to be giving instructions about the movement of money and debts.
Finlayson was seen talking to Degan about a “new batch” he was selling as well as the latter performing a “delivery service”.
Ryan Ross spoke about bank transfers and cash payments as well as a conversation with Finlayson about keeping phones “squeaky clean”.
His bank account was also investigated and found to have money transferred in and out from people involved in the sale or supply of drugs.
Mr MacIntosh said: “At it’s highest therefore, the maximum realisable value in respect of controlled drugs seized from the three stash sites would be £652,890.”
Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Judge Simon Collins KC.
Finlayson, of Alness, and Cameron Ross, of Invergordon, were remanded in custody and told “a custodial sentence is inevitable.”
Degan, of Alness, and Ryan Ross, of Balintore, had their bail continued meantime.