A major police operation has brought down a Chinese drugs gang who grew vast amounts of cannabis at a former US naval base in the north of Scotland.
An investigation by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and Northern Constabulary has now seen four men jailed for significant periods for their part in the illegal trade.
Sentenced at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday was the last of the group, asylum seeker Jiajie He, who acted as a courier for the gang.
The 30-year-old, who has been in the UK for the past 10 years after fleeing his homeland, was jailed for 30 months and will now face deportation back to China upon his release.
He was caught with two suitcases full of cannabis, valued at £74,000, as police brought their surveillance operation to a successful conclusion earlier this year.
The three other men snared have already been jailed for a combined 10 years and six months for their part in the drugs conspiracy.
Wan Yue Lin (44), of New Cross, London, and Bo Chen (26) also known as Hui Yu and Zhin Bo Yu of Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, admitted in July being concerned in the supply of class B controlled drugs.
The third man, Ah Bing Zheng (32) also known as Ah Bing Chen no fixed abode, was identified as the ”gardener” within the cannabis factory and admitted to being involved in the production of cannabis.
All four were the subject of Operation Solstice. The investigation revealed the gang had rented a former American naval communications base in Thurso, Caithness, to set up an illegal cannabis farm, which police estimate was worth approximately £250,000.
The gang’s courier, Jiajie He, was arrested in Perth on February 20 as he made his way from Wick to Cardiff with a significant delivery of drugs. His cohorts had arranged for a taxi to drive from Wales to Scotland to collect both him and suitcases containing two vacuum bags of the class B drug before making the return journey south.
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Police swooped as they pulled into a service station on the outskirts of the town.
Perth Sheriff Court was told the drugs were ”damp” and weighed 59 kilos but that, when reduced to ”dry, usable cannabis bud” would have weighed in at 14.7 kilos, with a maximum illicit value of £73,750.
During He’s appearance on Thursday, advocate Ronnie Renucci stressed that his client who speaks no English had not been the owner of the drugs but merely a courier.
He said: ”Due to his status, Mr He does not enjoy the normal protections that other members of society can call upon. He is an asylum seeker, who has been in the UK since 2001 and, as a result, he has not been in a position to find employment or seek benefits.
”He has been served with deportation papers and is likely to be returned to China once any sentence has been completed. That of itself will be a matter of concern, as I say from experience with another case that China does not look favourably upon citizens who have left seeking asylum elsewhere.”
Mr Renucci also stressed that the £73,500 value of the drugs quoted by the Crown was ”a theoretical value” if the drugs were broken down into £5 deals.
He, described as a prisoner at Perth, was found guilty after a trial in Perth last month of being concerned in the supply of cannabis on February 19 and 20 in at the Norseman Hotel, Riverside, Wick; at an address in Own Place, Wick; and then in the course of a journey between Wick and the Triangle Service Station in Dunkeld Road, Perth, at the station and elsewhere in the UK.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of investigations with the SCDEA, said: ”The commercial cultivation of cannabis represents a highly profitable business for serious organised crime groups and is one that they believe is low risk.
”This sentencing and the overall outcome of this investigation challenges that perception and sends a very clear message to those involved that there are serious consequences for this type of criminal activity. This gang was highly organised and every detail of their illegal enterprise was meticulously planned.
”Each member had their role to play, but they were equally concerned with maximising profits, regardless of the harms caused by these illegal enterprises and drug misuse. As a result of our investigation, we have significantly disrupted the activities of a serious organised crime group.”