A woman who illegally smuggled drugs in and out of the country has been convicted.
Following a multi-agency investigation by officers from the Organised Crime Partnership, a specialist team of Police Scotland and NCA officers, a package containing MDMA, sent by 40-year-old Xiao Ya Chen was intercepted in September last year on its way to Argentina.
Further enquiries established that Chen had received packages containing MDMA and herbal cannabis from Belgium in November of last year.
Officers arrested her on Tuesday, 26 November last year and a search of her home address in Edinburgh found further quantities of herbal cannabis along with £5000 in cash. The potential street value of controlled substances seized during the investigation totalled £277,100.
She was convicted at Edinburgh High Court on Friday (13 March 2020) after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of controlled substances and is due to be sentenced next month.
Members of the OCP, which includes Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency (NCA) operating under the agreement of the Lord Advocate, have now welcomed Chen’s conviction.
NCA Operations Manager, John McGowan of the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) said: “Drug trafficking is a major source of revenue for organised crime groups, many of whom are involved in multiple crime types.
“There is exploitation and violence involved at almost every level, from source countries to the streets of Scotland where these substances are sold. This is why we are determined to do all we can with our partners such as Police Scotland and Border Force to disrupt those involved in the importation and supply of controlled drugs.”
Detective Inspector Tom Gillan of the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) said: “This is another excellent example of partnership working with the Border Force, Organised Crime Partnership and Police Scotland Divisional policing as key stakeholders to prevent these dangerous controlled substances reaching Scottish communities.”
