A DRUG dealer from Linwood who was snared during a £900,000 cocaine swoop is facing a lengthy prison sentence.

Steven McCallum, 34, was a passenger in a car stopped near Aviemore, in the Highlands, on May 29, 2020.

The Vauxhall Corsa was being driven by 35-year-old drugs boss Garry Jordan.

Police went on to discover a number of blocks of high-purity cocaine in the vehicle.

Jordan, of Old Kilpatrick, West Dunbartonshire, today pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine between March 27, 2020, and May 29, 2020, when he appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow.

Broadband engineer McCallum admitted the same charge but only to being involved on the day of the swoop.

Both had been on bail but were remanded in custody by judge Lord Arthurson after he deferred sentence.

The court heard how the Corsa was stopped by officers on the A95, between Aviemore and Carrbridge.

A holdall that was found in the boot contained packages that appeared to be drugs.

Once expert analysis had been carried out, it was established that they were blocks of cocaine with a purity as high as 76%.

The total potential value of the haul was around £889,000.

Police also found what they suspected to be an Encrochat phone, which was broken.

Such phones can connect to a global encrypted network used extensively by criminals.

Prosecutor Blair Speed told the court: "Between March 27, 2020, and May 7, 2020, Jordan can be shown to have utilised Encrochat in his involvement in cocaine supply.

"The Encrochat messages...placed him in a logistics role at a mid-level in the hierarchy of the organised crime group.

"He was described in one message as being a 'manager'."

The Encrochat network was dismantled by the French authorities in 2020, sparking a series of prosecutions in the UK and abroad.

The court heard that McCallum has previous convictions for violence and dishonesty.

He was previously locked up in 2007 for road traffic offences.

Lord Arthurson deferred sentence until next month so that background reports can be prepared.

McCallum and Jordan will appear at the High Court in Edinburgh then to learn their fate.