A MAJOR dealer who flooded the Borders with Class A drugs will be sentenced next month.

George Thompson was stopped by police on the A7 near Heriot last November.

Officers found a half-kilogram of cocaine in his transit van.

Several addresses around West Lothian, which were linked to Thompson, were searched resulting in the seizure of a further three kilos of cocaine along with dealer quantities of amphetamine.

The total value of the recovered drugs was in excess of £500,000.

Yesterday at the High Court in Livingston, Thompson was found guilty of offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Detective Chief Inspector Kenny Gray from the East Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit said: “There is no doubt that George Thomson was heavily involved in the distribution of drugs throughout the Lothians and Scottish Borders, given the significant quantity of Class A drugs we seized from vehicles and properties linked to him.

“The cocaine was of a very high-purity and we are delighted to have recovered it before it could cause untold harm to our communities.

“Tackling drug crime is a priority for Police Scotland and we robustly gather and investigate all intelligence from the public relating to those involved in offences of this nature.

“If you wish to report ongoing criminal activity in your area then please contact Police Scotland on 101 or make an anonymous report via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

Thompson is due to be sentenced on August 5.