Taxi Driver Online

Drug Lord's Taxi Firm Closed By Strathclyde Police

21st September 2008

A drug dealer's taxi firm has been driven off the road by police.

Heroin dealer Henry Craig, 36, owned three private hire cars but had his sister-in-law get the licences for them in her name.

Lisa Donnachie, 29, was granted plates for the trio of Skoda Octavia motors in February by West Dunbartonshire Council.

But Strathclyde Police Chief Constable Steve House wrote to the local authority advising them to order the cars off the road because Craig was the real boss.

Donnachie worked in West Dunbarton - shire's housing department when she made the licence application.

She claimed she bought the cars to earn extra income.

But she later admitted Craig obtained finance for the motors and his wife Leona, 36, ran the cab business day-to-day.

Donnachie - who now works for Glasgow City Council's homelessness department - claimed to the licensing board the cars and plates cost around £8000 and she repaid Craig £1000 per month.

But council bosses suspended the licences for all three vehicles until February 2011 - when they are due to expire.

Police chief House said in his letter to the council that Craig would have been refused a licence because of his drug conviction.

He was jailed for three-and-a-half years at the High Court in Glasgow in 2001 after he was caught with two kilos of heroin in his car on the M74 in Lanarkshire. A West Dunbarton-shire Council source said: "The licensing board had to suspend the licences.

"There was no way they could allow the cars to stay on the road in light of the information they received."

Craig, his wife and Donnachie all live in Bowling, Dunbartonshire.

He was taken into custody early on Friday morning after police searched his home. He was later released without charge.

West Dunbartonshire Council said: "The matter was considered at a meeting of the Licence Committee and it was agreed all three licences which were subject of a complaint by the Chief Constable would be suspended and as yet this has not been appealed."

Organised criminal groups have used terror tactics to gain control of a huge number of private hire cars and firms across Scotland.

The gangs-mainly based in greater Glasgow - use the motors to launder dirty money and distribute drugs.

Craig and Donnachie were unavailable for comment.


Source; SundayMail.co.uk

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.