Jury trial for drugs accused

TWO men accused of being members of a drugs gang are to be tried by a jury for supplying Class ‘A’ drugs at jails.

Isaac McKinnon, 34, of Castlebrae Glebe, and Joseph Walker, 30, a prisoner at Addiewell, deny being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine at Addiewell and at Saughton prison.

The charge involving heroin – or diamorphine – relates to an 11-month period between September 3, 2010 and October 5, 2011.

The cocaine dealing is alleged to have happened between March 1, 2011 and October 5, 2011.

The case, which called for trial at the High Court in Livingston, is allegedly aggravated by being connected to serious organised crime.

Locations in Edinburgh, Liverpool and various points on the A74(M) are named in the charges as places where drugs were allegedly transported or transferred.

Two other accused have already admitted similar charges. Paul McIntyre, 28, a prisoner in Edinburgh, and David Hughes, 48, of Liverpool, lodged guilty pleas at an earlier hearing.

A former co-accused – 29-year-old Michael Gardner of Edinburgh – changed his plea to guilty to an amended charge at the start of proceedings yesterday.

The three men who pleaded guilty had sentence deferred until tomorrow. The trial of the remaining accused was expected to get under way today.