Drugs and weapons 'storeman' John Lucas jailed

A man who was caught with firearms and drugs at his home in North Lanarkshire has been jailed for seven years.

Police raided 50-year-old John Lucas' isolated home at Roughrigg, Airdrie, on April 27 last year.

They found cocaine worth £164,000, cannabis worth £12,000, amphetamine worth £11,000 and £38,000 in cash. They also found gun barrels and ammunition.

Wheelchair user Lucas was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh after earlier pleading guilty to the charges.

Defence counsel Tony Graham told the court that Lucas, who suffers from a degenerative condition, had been acting as "a quartermaster" for the items found during the search.

Live rounds

Mr Graham said items were being stored at the house on behalf of others after Lucas had built up debts.

In addition to the drugs, police seized four gun barrels along with striker units, although none had been assembled into weapons at the time.

Each was capable of being combined to form a simple single shot firearm about eight inches long.

Live rounds of ammunition and spent cartridge cases were also found.

Judge Lord Turnbull told Lucas that his role may have been restricted to acting as a storeman and packager but he was assisting criminals of "a most serious and violent kind".

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