Kurtis James Taylor: Drug courier who stashed 拢1m of cocaine in secret van compartment jailed
Kurtis James Taylor, from Liverpool, was stopped while driving a black Vauxhall Vivaro on the M74 near Lesmahagow in South Lanarkshire on 5 September last year.
Tuesday 23 July 2024 14:36, UK
A drug courier who smuggled 拢1m of cocaine into Scotland in a hidden compartment under the back seat of a van has been jailed for six years.
Kurtis James Taylor, 30, was snared in a Police Scotland sting after officers received intelligence that a vehicle was travelling from England with a significant quantity of drugs on board.
Taylor, from Liverpool, was stopped while driving a black Vauxhall Vivaro on the M74 near Lesmahagow in South Lanarkshire on 5 September last year.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said officers took the van back to Coatbridge Police Office and searched it with the assistance of a drug detection dog.
They found a hidden hydraulic compartment concealed beneath the back seat, which could be opened and closed using a modified key fob.
Ten block-shaped packages - embossed with a Twitter logo - were discovered inside which were later found to be cocaine.
COPFS said the drugs, which weighed around 10kg, had an approximate street value of between £801,840 and £1,002,300 if cut up for sale.
DNA belonging to Taylor and another individual, who is yet to be identified, were discovered on the packaging.
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Taylor pleaded guilty to being involved in the supply of the Class A drug when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on 15 May.
He received the six-year jail term when he returned to the dock for sentencing on Tuesday.
The court heard that Taylor was "under pressure" to pay a drug debt of £5,000.
Judge Douglas Brown told him it was a "serious offence".
The judge said: "You obviously knew that in transporting these drugs you were involved in a large-scale drug supply operation and the fact that a drug debt of £5,000 was to be cleared by making this one delivery would have emphasised the significance of your role in it."
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Moira Orr, head of homicide and major crime for COPFS, described it as a "sophisticated effort to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs across the border from England".
She added: "Kurtis Taylor will now serve a significant prison sentence thanks to the intelligence-led police operation and work by prosecutors.
"We are determined to disrupt serious and organised crime.
"We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, from drug couriers to those who direct their movements.
"With each case of this kind, we can help reduce the harm these drugs inflict on those communities."