A father who recruited his teenage son to sell cannabis has been ordered to pay back just £4,000 despite making almost £150,000. He was found in possession of more than £10,000 worth of cannabis, which had been imported from abroad, when police raided his home.
Mark Glasgow, 44, and his son Niall, then 19, were arrested at an address in Newport on October 6, 2023, after intelligence was received about cannabis supply. Messages on the defendants’ phones revealed the father and son had been working in partnership, which involved thousands of pounds worth of cannabis.
Border Force officers intercepted nine packages weighing a total of 3.75kg, which were found to contain cannabis, over a nine-month period. As a result of this discovery Mark Glasgow’s mother’s address in Newport was raided by police on September 29, 2023, where a burner phone, multiple sim cards, and clear plastic bags were discovered. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.
On October 6 that year a further raid took place at Mark and Niall Glasgow’s home in Jeddo Street, Newport where items were seized including mobile phones, a grinder, weighing scales, cannabis wax, £325 in cash, and 767g of cannabis in 11 separate bags. The total value of the drugs involved in the enterprise, except for the drugs seized by Border Force, was between £10,890 and £11,780.
A total of 857 messages relating to cannabis supply was found on a phone belonging to Niall Glasgow. He later admitted being a user of cannabis who obtained drugs from his father. Conversations between the defendants discussed pricing, importation, different strains of cannabis, how not to get caught, and photos and videos of cannabis were sent between them. On occasions Niall Glasgow had threatened violence against those who he supplied drugs to.
Significant sums of money had been passed through the bank account of Mark Glasgow amounting to around £18,000. He later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of cannabis. The court heard he had 20 previous convictions including possession of crack cocaine in 2007.
Niall Glasgow pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis. He did so on the basis he had been a cannabis user from a young age and had been provided with cannabis by his father to sell to friends and set up deals and was given cannabis as recompense.
Addressing Mark Glasgow at a sentencing hearing last year Judge Lucy Crowther said: “The very worst thing about this is the way you dragged your son into this and dragged your son next to you sitting in the dock.” The judge said this was a serious aggravating feature. Addressing Niall Glasgow she described how the defendant had shown “no understanding” of the effects cannabis has on users. The judge added: “Your father treated it as a normal part of your upbringing. You just thought that’s what family life was.”
The judge sentenced Mark Glasgow to 24 months imprisonment. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard the defendant benefited to the tune of £147,789 as a result of his offending but only has assets worth £4,000. Judge Eugene Egan ordered Mark Glasgow to pay that sum.
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