A father and son were caught at Glasgow Airport attempting to smuggle cannabis worth nearly £903,440 from East Asia into Scotland. Stephen Harding, 67, and Bradley Harding, 37, were stopped by Border Force officers after arriving on a British Airways flight from Heathrow in November 2024.
Discovery at the Airport
The duo was detained after an x-ray scan of their four suitcases appeared to reveal organic material suspected of being controlled drugs. Border Force officers identified that the pair had travelled from Bangkok to Doha, then on to Heathrow in London, before arriving at Glasgow.
The suitcases were found to contain 92 vacuum-sealed packages consisting of a green herbal substance, which later analysis confirmed was cannabis. The drugs had a street value of £903,440.
Evidence and Conviction
Prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) gathered evidence revealing the illicit scheme through a number of text messages. An examination of Bradley Harding’s mobile phone revealed conversations with his father discussing the suitcases, as well as a reference to ‘nice payment’ in another conversation with an unknown associate.
At the High Court in Glasgow, both men pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
Sentences Handed Down
Bradley, from Tamworth in Staffordshire, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison. His father Stephen, also from that area, will spend two years behind bars, giving a combined sentence of five years and two months.
Procurator Fiscal Sineidin Corrins, of COPFS, said: "These two men failed in their attempt to import a significant quantity of drugs into Scotland. Justice has been served and these individuals are now serving prison sentences.
"I hope these convictions send a strong message to others involved in this kind of drug-trafficking behaviour. It also demonstrates the ability of police and prosecutors to investigate, prepare and prosecute crime of this nature."
