A CAR repair workshop was being used as a cover for drug trafficking.
A raid on the premises on an industrial estate in Possilpark, Glasgow, uncovered a secret hidden room containing cash and equipment for processing heroin - but only a tiny package of the drug.
Firearms officers were called in when a pump action shot-gun revolver and an Uzi sub-machine gun tumbled out of a store cupboard - but the weapons proved to be imitations, designed to fire ball bearings.
At the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Bannatyne jailed garage boss Desmond Stewart, 33, for a total of four years and nine months.
Stewart, of Glasgow, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and having counterfeit £10 notes under his control.
Solicitor advocate Liam O'Donnell, defending, said the offences were out of character for Stewart who has an almost clean record.
Cash totalling £53,652 was seized, along with a small amount of heroin valued at £20.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article