A woman from Dundee, who fled from Scotland to Bulgaria, has today been locked up for more than five years for drug offences and being involved in serious organised crime.
Police Scotland officers have welcomed the sentencing of Morag Yorston, who had pled guilty to supplying heroin and cocaine in July last year.
She was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison at the High Court in Glasgow this morning.
The 55-year-old was one of 17 people arrested during Operation Boost – a joint Tayside Division and Organised Crime Unit investigation into the supply of Class A controlled drugs by organised criminals in the city in the wake of a high level of deaths believed to be drug related.
Between July and October 2018, the initiative saw officers seize approximately 6 kgs of heroin and a kilogram of cocaine, with a combined street value of over £380,000, as well as £12,000 in cash.
In September 2019, while on bail, Yorston failed to appear at the High Court in Glasgow for sentencing.
Inquiries established that she had fled with her husband, who is a Bulgarian national, and a European Arrest Warrant was granted. On 4 March this year the warrant was executed and she was arrested by the Bulgarian authorities and extradited back to Scotland on 2 July.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Fotheringham said: “Operation Boost was a complex and protracted investigation which identified Yorston playing a significant role in an organised crime group intent in bringing misery to our communities.
“Police Scotland works hard with local, national and international partners to make Tayside and the rest of Scotland a hostile environment for those involved in this sort of criminality. I welcome the sentencing handed to Yorston which also underlines how seriously the courts view such activities.”
Chief Inspector David McIntosh, Area Commander for Tayside Division, added: “The success of Operation Boost and the sentencing of Yorston shows our unwavering commitment to targeting serious organised criminals in Tayside and disrupting their activities, to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
Yorston becomes the eighth person to be sent to prison following her arrest as part of Operation Boost.
Three women and four men have already been convicted and sentenced to a total of over 17 years in prison.
A male youth was ordered to spend 16 months in a Young Offenders Institution and a woman received a five month Restriction of Liberty Order.
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