News In Focus
25 February 2010
Taliban target Scottish prosecutor
The Taliban has pronounced a death sentence on Scottish prosecutor David Glancy, who is in Afghanistan leading the fight against drugs.
Mr Glancy has swapped Greenock Sheriff Court for Kabul, where he and his criminal task force of British Embassy and Afghan Government specialists are trying to stem the flood of heroin paste to the UK.
A former TA soldier, Mr Glancy is senior prosecutor for the criminal justice team of 70 prosecutors, investigators and judges tackling major narcotics cases.
They handle prosecutions involving hauls of more than 20kg of opium, and so far the team has been involved in the seizure of heroin and opium worth £510 million.
Mr Glancy said: “Insurgents benefit to the tune of £100 million from illegal drug trafficking – which buys a lot of bullets.
“When we take down top traffickers, the money and activities of these people dries up.”
In the past 12 months the team has investigated 368 cases involving 431 suspects, seizing heroin and opium destined for Britain.
Team members have received dozens of death threats.