Pair jailed for smuggling heroin into Shetland

TWO AYRSHIRE men who admitted bringing thousands of pounds worth of heroin into Shetland earlier this year were given lengthy jail sentences when they appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Monday morning.

James Kennedy, 29, was jailed for four years and two months, while 25 year old Greg Lawrie, was given two years and six months. Both gave addresses in Maybole, Ayrshire.

The pair were arrested on 15 May when police searched an address at Lerwick’s Hill Grind acting on a tip off and found Lawrie in possession of 70 grams of heroin with a potential street value of £7,000.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenize said police had gleaned from mobile phone records that both Lawrie and Kennedy, who he said had “no connection whatsoever with Shetland”, had been involved in bringing the drugs to the islands for distribution.

Neither of the accused had cooperated with the police at any stage, he added.

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Defence agent Tommy Allan said Lawrie, a trained green-keeper, had recently developed a cocaine habit and became involved in supplying drugs in an attempt to clear his debts.

Allan said his client had made no direct profit other than to reduce his debt. Lawrie accepted the drugs were found on his person, but felt his role in their supply was “fairly minor”.

Acting on behalf of Kennedy, defence agent Philip McWilliams said he had also become involved due to a heroin habit that had worsened in the past 12 months.

However Kennedy had committed the offence when he was already subject to an undertaking to appear at Ayr Sheriff Court on another drug-related matter.

Once again Sheriff Philip Mann told the court that anyone convicted of trafficking drugs in Shetland could expect a custodial sentence, unless there were exceptional circumstances.

Kennedy had a “very extensive” criminal record, including a conviction for drug dealing in 2010, the sheriff said, but reduced his sentence from the maximum of five years by 10 months to reflect Kennedy’s guilty plea.

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Lawrie’s sentence was reduced from three years by six months for the same reason.

Both sentences were backdated to 19 May, since when Lawrie and Kennedy have been in custody.

Shetland’s chief police inspector Eddie Graham welcomed news of the sentences.

He said: “We all have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable people in society and as such we as a community will not tolerate those that seek to profit from the drugs trade.

“With the support of the public and with access to the wider resources through Police Scotland we will continue to disrupt and target criminals that traffic drugs to Shetland. 

“Furthermore I would again remind the public that we rely on your support and information to disrupt the supply of drugs and arrest those responsible.”