A man has been jailed after police found a Glock-style handgun, ammunition and counterfeit cash in a Gucci bag near the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow.
Arrest and discovery
Jason Britton, 35, from Manchester, was arrested after officers stopped a car on Newton Street near its junction with William Street at around 8.50pm on December 2 last year. He was in the vehicle with Cade Johnson, 28, also of Manchester.
Britton was found with a Glock-style handgun hidden in a Gucci bag, along with a bullet and cartridges, just yards from the hotel and close to Anderston Station. He was also found with £10,285 in counterfeit cash, some of which was dropped during a foot pursuit.
Court sentencing
He was jailed for five years and three months at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday, November 3. The court heard that Britton's childhood home had been the target of an unexploded device, and there was a further attack which resulted in his mother being hit by a ricochet.
Britton pleaded guilty to two charges of having the firearms without a reasonable excuse or lawful authority, and admitted acquiring and possessing £10,285 of criminal property. Judge Lord Scott told Britton: "These offences were motivated wholly or in part with the objective of committing serious organised crime. This makes each charge more serious. You are assessed as being at a high risk of re-offending due to the serious risk of harm you pose to the public. Having regard to the circumstances, the gravity of the crimes and your previous convictions only a custodial sentence is appropriate which is necessary to punish you and deter others."
Details of the incident
Prosecutor Adrian Stalker said: "Britton exited from the passenger door and ran towards the Hilton Hotel with a brown Gucci bag. He dropped a quantity of £20 notes and proceeded on foot." The BMW drove off again but stopped once ordered to once more by police. Mr Stalker said: "The constable chased Britton towards the A804 when he fell over a metal railing and dropped another quantity of £20 notes. Britton got up and fell again and was apprehended."
Britton was found still in possession of the Gucci bag, which was opened and found to contain a handgun and a quantity of cash. The handgun was found to be a Turkish manufactured Zoraki model 917-B self-loading pistol. Officers also discovered modified .380 bulleted cartridges which were "suitable for use with the handgun." Mr Stalker added: "The handgun was in working order capable of discharging cartridges and self-loading when fired."
The Gucci bag contained £1,060 in cash, most of which was £20 notes. Britton dropped £3,000 during the pursuit, also in £20 notes. A further £6,225 in mixed notes was recovered from an Asda bag under the rear passenger side of the BMW. Mr Stalker stated that the cash was examined and "all were found to be counterfeit."
Co-defendant and background
Johnson later appeared in the same dock and was jailed for two years and seven months after he admitted breaching a serious crime prevention order imposed on him in December 2019. He had been sentenced to five years and nine months at the time for his involvement in serious organised crime and reset. Johnson and two others were caught after officers discovered a fake parcel designed to conceal a pistol addressed to a vets' practice at the Forge Retail Park in Glasgow's Parkhead.
Marco Guarino, defending Britton, told the sentencing: "The sentence is inevitable here and he accepts that. There is a reference in his background report saying that he is the victim - this is not quite how the conversation went." Rhonda Anderson, defending Johnson, stated: "This is a man who does regret his actions - when the car was stopped, he made no attempt to move. He remained with the police and co-operated fully with them."
Britton was previously caged for five years and 10 months in 2015. He was part of an armed gang who stole £230,000 worth of high-end jewellery from Rox store in Glasgow's Argyll Arcade. Detective Sergeant Mark Paterson said: "This recovery has taken a dangerous weapon off our streets and underlines our commitment to tackling serious and organised crime in Scotland. We hope that this sends a clear message that we will continue to relentlessly pursue and bring to justice those involved in such criminal activities. Information from the public is crucial and I would urge anyone with information or concerns about drugs in their area to contact Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained."
