Army veteran trafficked £800,000 of cocaine to pay back cigarette scam debt

An Army veteran trafficked £800,000 of cocaine to pay back a debt after being caught in a large counterfeit cigarettes scam.

Timothy Shaw, 64, was stopped by police in his Volvo on the M74 near Ecclefechan, Dumfries and Galloway, on June 6 2025.

Officers recovered ten blocks of high-purity cocaine in the boot of the car, which had travelled from Lancashire.

Shaw was jailed for 21 months in 2012 after he formed a plot to smuggle 13 million bootleg cigarettes worth £2.7m to the UK disguised as yoghurts, ice cream and frozen pizzas.

Shaw and co-accused Douglas Allison used their illegal earnings to fund lavish lifestyles, including expensive holidays, at a massive cost to the taxpayer.

The dad was also given a three-month suspended sentence from a French court in 2008 for the illegal importation of cigarettes.

The High Court in Glasgow was told that police stopped Shaw’s Volvo around 9.15pm.

He stated to officers: “I have ten bits in the boot.”

Police officers took Shaw and the vehicle into custody and the large drug stash was recovered.

When quizzed, Shaw said: “I was told to go and pick up I don’t know how much of what.

“They didn’t say what I was to pick up. In my mind I knew what I thought it was.”

Shaw – a Falklands and Northern Ireland veteran – claimed to have met an unknown man at a service station who put the boxes into his boot.

It was also stated that a man named Will had initially contacted Shaw on WhatsApp and told him to go to England.

When asked what the blocks were, Shaw replied: “I don’t know, cocaine or something like that.”

Prosecutor Michael MacIntosh said: “He declined to say who he was instructed by as he was fearful for his safety.

“He was involved to pay back a debt after being stopped bringing cigarettes into the country without paying tax.”

The blocks had a total weight of 11.5kg and reached a street value of up to £800,000.

Marks and Spencer worker Shaw, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of drugs.

Taylor Muir, defending, told the court: “He is in full time employment and he recognises due to the quantity of cocaine, a custodial sentence will follow.”

Sentence was deferred pending background reports and information on Shaw’s military service until next month by Judge Lord Scott who granted Shaw bail meantime.

The judge said: “You have pleaded guilty to a charge which is clearly serious – the quantity and values are significant.

“It is clear your role was of a courier on a single day.

“This is a situation where custody is inevitable.”

In 2013, Shaw was also caught transporting £151,000 of drug cash out of Scotland in a Lamborghini Gallardo.

Shaw was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work after he pleaded guilty to a breach of the Proceeds of Crime Act.