A PRIVATE hire taxi driver who was caught with almost £300,000 of high-purity cocaine hidden in his car was today jailed for three years.

Gordon Mitchell, 36, was snared near to Gorbals Leisure Centre in Glasgow on December 2, 2019.

Police had spotted him doing a number of three-point turns in his Volkswagen Passat and stopped him.

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The High Court in Glasgow heard that he was couriering the drug in order to pay off part of a gambling debt.

Prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel said the car was searched and initially only two mobile phones were found - one which appeared encrypted.

Miss Dalziel added: "A trained dog handler was contacted. The dog then gave a strong indication at the centre console of the car."

The compartment was yanked open and a plastic bag was found stashed inside.

It contained a taped package of 996g of cocaine with a purity of 73%.

Officers went onto search Mitchell's home in the city's Shettleston.

Officers found £1020 in cash as well as three more mobile phones.

The court was told the cocaine had a potential value of £290,906.

It emerged Mitchell - who pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine -  already had 11 previous convictions including for theft, assault and carrying weapons.

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Defence counsel Allan McLeod said: “There was not a special compartment made to hide the drugs. The console was broken and he put the cocaine in there.

“He ran up gambling debts and was offered an opportunity to clear a substantial part of the debt. He knew the package contained drugs but not how much or what drug.

“He realises he made a catastrophic mistake.”

Judge Lord Weir told Mitchell: “I accept you had significant gambling debts. Your gambling addiction brought you here today.”