Gardener caught with pistol jailed

DETECTIVES today welcomed a six-year jail sentence given to a landscape gardener caught with a loaded gun, and pledged to continue to target organised criminals who use firearms.

The Colt .45 was found in a car that Gordon Crozier, 44, was driving after police tailed him to the Liverpool area and back to the Capital.

The undercover surveillance was part of Operation Nuclear, a campaign mounted by Lothian and Borders Police against city drug traffickers.

A jury yesterday found Crozier, of Gilmerton Dykes Terrace, guilty of possessing a self-loading pistol and five rounds of ammunition without a firearms certificate on 24 August 2008.

Judge Lady Clark of Calton told the High Court in Edinburgh she was "deeply concerned" about the type of weapon involved as she passed the six-year sentence.

A police spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to removing individuals concerned in serious organised crime from our communities and welcome lengthy jail terms for those found to be in possession of firearms.

"This sentence is testament to our proactive approach to removing weapons from our communities and should send a clear message to those involved in criminality that we will not tolerate their actions. Anyone found to be in possession of a firearm or to be involved in other facets of serious organised crime will be dealt with robustly."

Operation Nuclear also trapped Edinburgh drug baron Sean McGovern. The 26-year-old was jailed for a total of almost 17 years after firing a shotgun outside The Gauntlet Bar in Broomhouse while targeting a rival dealer.