Cash and carry gang link to series of raids

DETECTIVES believe an organised crime gang caught in a swoop in Edinburgh has targeted dozens of cash and carry stores across the country to steal cigarettes to sell on the black market.

Three members of the gang were caught by an undercover police operation staged at the Booker Cash and Carry in Eastfield, Portobello.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday, Eric Dowds, 48, from Harthill, was sentenced to 11 months' imprisonment, while John McGhee, 47, also from Harthill, received 12 months in jail. David Ferguson, 41, from Whitburn, was sentenced to 200 hours of community service.

It emerged that after receiving a tip-off about the planned heist, officers mounted surveillance at the store and watched the thieves as they broke into the business last October.

Officers arrested the men as they tried to force entry to a storage area filled with cigarettes.

The inquiry, led by Lothian and Borders Police, is expected to see other alleged gang members arrested and taken to court in the coming months.

A dedicated squad of officers was established at Livingston police station to pursue the gang after detectives linked them to a string of cash and carry raids throughout Scotland.

Detective Sergeant Ricky Hutton, who was part of the inquiry team, said: "The men were part of a larger group. We had received intelligence that the cash and carry would be targeted.

"The three men were arrested in the commission of the crime. They were about to cut through a cigarette counter when they were detained.

"They were people we believed were core members of this group, but a number of other individuals are still being investigated. We believe this group had been active for a number of years with responsibility for dozens of similar crimes, including a number in the Lothian and Borders force area."

The three men pleaded guilty yesterday to breaking into the business premises on October 21.

Detective Superintendent Willie Semple, chairman of the Scottish Commercial Crime Group, said: "This is a first-class example of good partnership working between police, other law enforcement agencies and the commercial business sector. The Scottish Commercial Crime Group will continue to work to reduce business crime in Scotland, but also to prevent and detect serious organised criminals.

"With important links in the production, storage and carriage of commercial goods, including computer components, tobacco, liquor and other high value products, we will always have a finger on the pulse of all the arterial routes in the country and an understanding of the threats facing commercial businesses across Scotland.''