Galashiels man admits involvement in serious organised crime after police find over £10,000 in his car
Last updated 28th Apr 2025
A 50-year-old man from Galashiels found with more than £10,000 in cash in his car has admitted being involved in serious organised crime in the Scottish Borders.
Selkirk Sheriff Court today (Monday) heard Jason Brown had been put under surveillance by police as part of an operation targeting the supply of illegal substances in the region, which last year saw Chris Ferguson, also from Galashiels, jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
The 37-year-old was arrested as part of Operation Bergwind, which saw officers from Police Scotland’s Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit teams, and local officers from Operation Jabiru, recover drugs worth more than £670,000.
Last year, the High Court in Glasgow heard Ferguson supplied a network of dealers in the Borders and Central Belt between January 2018 and April 2023.
A total of £385,000 worth of drugs linked to him were recovered in four raids on heroin dealers.
However, no drugs or cash were found at Ferguson's home when it was searched by police in April 2023.
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According to new court papers, Brown, of Laidlaw Court, Galashiels, did agree with Ferguson, and others not known to the prosecutor, to do something that he knew or suspected, or ought to have known or suspected, would enable or further the commission of Serious Organised Crime, in that he did agree with them to obtain, transfer and store quantities of money between various locations and to others.
The offence relates to addresses at Coulter Avenue in Galashiels, Alloway Drive in Kirkintilloch, the A7 - near to Melville Dykes Road, Dalkeith - and elsewhere in Scotland, between March 15th, 2022 and June 2nd, 2022.
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On one occasion, the court heard, Brown was seen exchanging items with a person in a van, after driving from Galashiels to Kirkintilloch, and entering a property in the East Dunbartonshire town.
India McLean, prosecuting, said messages showed he was involved in transporting money.
And the five-figure sum of cash was found three months later when police swooped on his vehicle shortly after it left a retail park.
Sheriff Peter Paterson said it was clear Brown knew exactly what he was doing.
He deferred sentence for background reports, and released him on bail meantime - but added a custodial sentence was uppermost in his mind.
An order has also been raised to confiscate the cash seized. The case will recall on May 26th.
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