Crime Correspondent: Glasgow

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs worth $1.3 million

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs with $1.3 million in street value but Johal is looking at years in jail and a total collapse of his liquor business after pleading guilty.<blockquote>An Indo-British millionaire was busted after Canadian authorities found cocaine hidden in hollowed-out gravestones that was destined to his Scotland-based liquor distribution business.</blockquote>Ramandeep Johal had a memorial inscribed with the name of a fake dead Scots pensioner in a bid to fool customs men. We can reveal his deadly plan was smashed when Canadian Mounties detected traces of coke on the two-foot headstone for 70-year-old "Loving father & husband" Albert Thomas. The stone - which even had its own sentimental poem called Wings Of The Angels - was made of wood laminate and had been painted to make it look like stone. It contained 8937 grammes of cocaine, which was 53 per cent pure and had an estimated street value of around s750,000. Married dad-of-one Johal, of Renfrewshire, was a director of drinks distribution firm Barrell's & Booze. But he admitted being involved in supplying cocaine at Glasgow's High Court last week. He faces years in jail when sentenced next month. In a special investigation we followed the cocaine trail from the drug barons who control its supply from abroad to the users who pay s2 for a line on the streets of Scotland. One former associate of Johal said: "He was really slick and believed he was untouchable. "He thought he had all the bases covered and believed headstones were the perfect scam. "He was well known in the drinks trade throughout Scotland and was outwardly a very respectable guy." Canadian investigators intercepted a 'heavy box' which had been posted in British Columbia, addressed to an 'S Adams' but bound for 31-year-old Johal's drinks warehouse in Hillington, Renfrewshire. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called in after border control agents in the country became suspicious of the package and a scan showed traces of cocaine. Inside they found the memorial, which colleagues smashed open to reveal the drugs cargo. While Johal waited back in Scotland for the package to arrive, Canadian Mounties, British Customs and Strathclyde Police put together an elaborate sting. The Mounties sent the headstone to Scotland where Strathclyde officers swapped it for a fake. A detective posing as a delivery driver took the replacement package to Johal's drinks warehouse on June 20 last year. Unsuspecting Johal signed for the box, prompting a full-scale police raid on the premises during which the shamed businessman tried to claim 'S Adams' was a former employee. Johal protested he had been threatened by a cousin in Canada who forced him to receive the drugs. He told police: "I didn't do it of my own free will. Please make sure my family is OK." A Canadian investigator told the Sunday Mail: "He claims a cousin in Canada asked him to do this but we have never been able to find any such cousin. "You would think he would be able to give us a name or location or a way to contact his cousin but he has not been able to give us that information. So we've reached a dead end on that." Johal also stands to see any remaining assets seized under the Proceeds of Crime act although his once-successful business has now gone bust and his home is about to be repossessed. Canada Border Services Agency Pacific Regional Director Blake Delgaty said: "This seizure demonstrates our partnership with law enforcement agencies, both here and abroad, lead to great success. "These joint operations ensure the security of our borders and play a big part in making our communities safer." The cocaine epidemic gripping Scotland was underlined in December when it emerged the number of people treated in hospital for abusing cocaine has increased tenfold in the past decade. The price of a gram has fallen from an average of s71 in 1999 to s40 this year - meaning users can snort a line for just s2. European Union research found 15 per cent of Scots aged 16 to 34 had used cocaine - three times the EU average.

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs worth $1.3 million

Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland claimed that a cousin from Vancouver had forced him to take shipmen of the drugs with $1.3 million...

Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland was charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act (UK) for receiving a package containing 8.83 kilograms of cocaine

Thirty-one year-old Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland was charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act (UK) for receiving a package containing 8.83 kilograms of cocaine.Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland (U.K.) was arrested and charged pursuant to section 4(3)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act (United Kingdom) after receiving the package which contained 8.83 kilograms of cocaine recovered from inside the memorial marker. In partnership with the Strathclyde Police, the RCMP conducted an investigation locally in an effort to identify co-conspirators on this matter however, no persons to date have been charged.On June 10th, 2008 members of the Canada Border Service Agency(CBSA) located at the Vancouver International Airport, intercepted a suspicious package that was bound for Glasgow, Scotland. After being examined, this package was found to contain a memorial marker that had an unknown quantity of cocaine secreted within it. CBSA requested the assistance of the RCMP’s Greater Vancouver Drug Section in an effort to conduct a controlled delivery of the memorial marker between Canada and Scotland. The delivery of the parcel was completed with the aid of the RCMP’s Liaison Officer in London, Her Majesties Revenue and Customs (London) and the Strathclyde Police (Scotland). A subsequent undercover operation was conducted by Detectives from the Strathclyde Police Department whereby the delivery of the package was made to a local business address in Glasgow. This intelligence-led international investigation has successfully disrupted this organized crime process from the smuggling and trafficking of this cocaine. The investigation was a collaborative effort by many officers from CBSA, the RCMP and the Strathclyde Police Department. It is yet another example of our integrated approach and ongoing commitment to detect, dismantle and prosecute organized crime in Canada and abroad.

Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland was charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act (UK) for receiving a package containing 8.83 kilograms of cocaine

Thirty-one year-old Ramandeep JOHAL of Renfrewshire, Scotland was charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act (UK) for receiving a package contain...

Thomas McIntyre, 40, was caught after police raided his home in Cairnton Place, Tillicoutry,

Thomas McIntyre, 40, was caught after police raided his home in Cairnton Place, Tillicoutry, last May. Detectives moved in after quizzing users who confessed to often buying drugs from McIntyre. At the High Court in Glasgow, McIntyre admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin between 1 January and 10 May last year. It emerged he had already served a five year jail-term for drug dealing after being convicted in 2003. He accepts that heroin brings misery, he knows that better than most Liam O'Donnell Defence lawyer Judge Lord Bracadale reduced the latest sentence from seven years due to his guilty plea. The court heard police questioned several addicts after being alerted to McIntyre's drugs trade. One man admitted he had acted as a "runner" for the accused to help deliver heroin. Officers then raided McIntyre's home on 10 May last year. A woman there admitted that McIntyre sold drugs. Police also seized £865 in cash and two mobile phones. A number of text messages on the phones were from users looking to buy drugs. McIntyre was later detained and admitted dealing heroin on a daily basis. Liam O'Donnell, defending, said McIntyre had been lured back into drugs on his release from jail and had been spending up to £1,000-a-day on cocaine and heroin for himself. The lawyer added: "He was approached by an individual claiming that money was owed. He accepts that he had a choice, but chose to re-enter the world of drug dealing. "He is a man who has not made money through drugs, but made money for others. He accepts that heroin brings misery, he knows that better than most." Mr O'Donnell also said McIntyre's mother had disowned him and that he had latterly been living with friends. McIntyre also admitted failing to appear for a previous court date. Lord Bracadale sentenced him to 12 months on that charge to run concurrently with the six and a half years.

Thomas McIntyre, 40, was caught after police raided his home in Cairnton Place, Tillicoutry,

Thomas McIntyre, 40, was caught after police raided his home in Cairnton Place, Tillicoutry, last May. Detectives moved in after quizzing us...

Rachel J. Pitcock,Christopher R. Perdue, Robert W. Greenwalt,Donnie D. Norris each charged with manufacturing methamphetamine

Rachel J. Pitcock, 23, of 1722 Allens Creek Road, in Burkesville; Christopher R. Perdue, 35, of 507 Grandview Ave.; Donnie D. Norris, Jr., 24, of 701 Woodland St., in Burkesville; Robert W. Greenwalt, 20, of 112 B Elm Hill Drive; and Daniel G. Elkins, 38, of 314 N. Lee St., Fort Gibson, Okla., were each charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a meth precursor, unlawful transaction with a minor and possession of drug paraphernalia. The arrests came after officers with the Glasgow Police Department went to 507 Grandview Ave., to investigate a drug complaint. After arriving at the scene, police made contact with Elkins outside the residence. While the subject was emptying his pockets, marijuana was found and Elkins then fled on foot, according to police. After officers took Elkins into custody, he was searched and a powdered substance believed to be methamphetamine was found on his person. Once police entered the home, they discovered the owner, Perdue, and the other subjects inside. Consent was given to search the home, where officers discovered crushed Sudafed, methanol, Heet, used coffee filters, an HCL generator and several other paraphernalia items, the GPD said. A 16-year-old female juvenile was also found inside the residence. The owner told police that all the subjects inside the home were involved in the manufacturing of meth.

Rachel J. Pitcock,Christopher R. Perdue, Robert W. Greenwalt,Donnie D. Norris each charged with manufacturing methamphetamine

Rachel J. Pitcock, 23, of 1722 Allens Creek Road, in Burkesville; Christopher R. Perdue, 35, of 507 Grandview Ave.; Donnie D. Norris, Jr., 2...

Duncan Haldane was caught with £80,000 of heroin

Duncan Haldane, now 17, had the drugs stashed down his trouser leg when cops stopped a taxi in London Road, Glasgow.They had followed it fro...