Dilip Kuner
TWO drug smugglers who tried to sneak more than £1.5 million worth of cannabis into Scotland disguised as a watermelon shipment from Spain have been thrown behind bars.
Scott McSeveney, 37, and his partner-in-crime, HGV driver Steven Lawson, 48, have been jailed after cops caught them red-handed trying to flood Scotland’s streets with Class B drugs – using watermelons as a cover.
The not-so-sweet scheme was rumbled in June 2020 when eagle-eyed Border Force officers stopped Lawson’s lorry at Coquelles port, fresh off a trip from Spain.
He claimed he was just hauling fruit. But inside? A staggering 159 kilos of cannabis stuffed between the melons – with a street value topping £1.5 million.
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McSeveney, from Shotts, had been hatching the plan using encrypted chat app EncroChat under the handle ‘frank.n.furter’. He sent hundreds of shady messages about drug runs, dodgy drop-offs, and even how much crime he could sneak through his ‘legit’ business before the taxman caught on.
The cannabis courier even debated whether to stash the gear in the cab or trailer – before enlisting Lawson, from Motherwell, to drive the dodgy load back to the UK.
But the organised crime duo’s high hopes went up in smoke after a major joint operation between the National Crime Agency (NCA), Police Scotland, and Border Force officers – part of the UK-wide crackdown known as Operation Venetic, launched after EncroChat was hacked by cops.
McSeveney was nicked at his home the same day the melon lorry was intercepted. Lawson, who denied knowing about the drugs, was arrested at the port.
But a Glasgow High Court judge didn’t buy the watermelon story. This week, Lawson was jailed for five years, while McSeveney was handed a sentence of eight years and two months after admitting his role in the plot.
NCA boss Donald Lawrie said: “McSeveney and Lawson were part of an organised crime network determined to smuggle huge quantities of drugs into Scotland. But our teams, working with Border Force and Police Scotland, stopped them in their tracks.”
Detective Superintendent Steven Elliot of Police Scotland added:
“Drugs cause misery in our communities – we will use every weapon in our arsenal to disrupt and dismantle these operations. This haul is just one example of our determination.”
The Crown Office also praised the ‘strong partnership’ behind the bust, saying Scotland’s streets are safer with the pair off them behind bars.
