Pair sentenced over heroin haul

Lord Nimmo Smith said the pair were guilty of serious offences

Two men caught trafficking heroin with a street value of £300,000 have been jailed for a total of 13 years.

Lord Nimmo Smith jailed Robert Daniel, 31, and Christopher Bailiff, 29, for eight and five years respectively for dealing in "a pernicious social evil".

Passing sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh, the judge said he was bearing in mind the impact the drugs would have had on people.

The pair were caught following a drugs handover near Glasgow last September.

Daniel, of Formby Drive, Summerston, Glasgow, was jailed for eight years for collecting one and a half kilos of the drug.

Former Army lance corporal Bailiff, who was extradited from Tenerife after fleeing the country, acted as courier for the drugs and cash.

This is a pernicious social evil and I have to sentence accordingly Lord Nimmo Smith

Police found £61,000 in his car after he was stopped.

Lord Nimmo Smith told the pair: "You fully realise that I have to sentence you for very serious offences.

"This was a significant quantity of heroin with a street value of up to £300,000."

The judge said he had to bear in mind the ultimate impact the haul would have had on the drug economy with all the crimes and prostitution committed by addicts to fund their habits.

He added: "This is a pernicious social evil and I have to sentence accordingly."

He told Daniel: "You were right in the midst of what was going on in respect of this drug dealing."

'Trusted courier'

The judge said Bailiff, formerly of Duntarvie Road, Easterhouse, Glasgow, was "clearly a very trusted courier".

After the drugs handover at Stepps, on the outskirts of Glasgow last September, Daniel tried to throw heroin out of a car window during a chase.

Both Daniel and Bailiff were earlier convicted of being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug.

The men were involved in a heroin deal worth £300,000

Daniel's defence solicitor advocate said he had been convicted for an offence which was "totally out of character".

Ian Hamilton QC, for Bailiff, said he had served in the King's Own Scottish Borderers before being discharged from the Army with an exemplary record.

Bailiff subsequently worked at the Army recruiting office in Glasgow before getting employment as a driver. After he lost the post when the firm went out of business he found himself in "dead-end" jobs.

Mr Hamilton said Bailiff was short of money at the time and was tempted by an offer of £500 to carry out the transaction.

The defence counsel said: "He is just a labourer in the vineyard of crime. He has learnt his lesson. He will not offend again."