CANNABIS TRAFFICKING GANG JAILED

Three men involved in a £1.2 million drug trafficking conspiracy have been jailed, police said.

Naeem Asghar, 38, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, was found guilty of being involved in the supply of Class B drugs following a trial in November last year.

Anthony Kenyon, 37, and Phillip Rannard, 47, both of Wigan, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to the same charges.

A cannabis plant. 

Asghar was jailed for six years at the High Court in Glasgow today while Kenyon was sentenced to four years, 10 months and Rannard to four years, six months, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) said.

They were arrested as a result of Operation Chilon, an intelligence-led investigation by the SCDEA into the activities of a major serious organised crime network operating in the west of Scotland.

The SCDEA said the investigation identified that Asghar was a key member of a gang responsible for supplying significant amounts of cannabis, with the support of associates Kenyon and Rannard.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of investigations at SCDEA, said: "Today's sentencing demonstrates that drug dealers are not above the law.

"Other dealers should sit up and take note. We are using all means at our disposal to identify who they are, to put them out of business and ensure they are brought to justice for their crimes."

Asghar, Kenyon and Rannard were arrested on September 24 2010 after the SCDEA instigated a surveillance operation, acting on intelligence that Asghar was set to receive a large quantity of controlled drugs.

Officers from the SCDEA watched Asghar leave his place of work in Newmains, Lanarkshire, in a van and travel to the premises of Kirimar Haulage and Logistics at Green Elms industrial estate in nearby Uddingston, where he met Kenyon and Rannard, who also arrived in a van.

The SCDEA said the three men were seen transferring four boxes into Asghar's vehicle, and both vehicles then left the premises.

Officers from Strathclyde Police later stopped the two vans in Burniehill Road, Bellshill, Lanarkshire.

The four boxes were recovered from Asghar's van and a further nine boxes were found in the vehicle occupied by Kenyon and Rannard.

In total, the boxes contained 534lb (242kg) of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of around £1.21 million.

Mr Mole said: "As a result of our investigation, we have prevented a significant amount of illegal drugs from reaching our streets and causing untold harm in our communities. In addition, three drug dealers are serving much-deserved prison terms.

"We will continue to target drug dealers and others involved in serious organised crime, and I would urge the public to support us."