Cocaine-addicted millionaire jailed over drugs and guns

A Scottish property tycoon who snorted so much cocaine that his nose collapsed has been jailed for possessing the drug and a hoard of illegal guns. Police stopped Jamie Brown in his £120,000 Bentley Continental convertible and found high-purity cocaine stashed in the car’s air vents and collapsible roof. A search of the exclusive Hurst House Hotel in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales, where Brown, 45, had been staying revealed more cocaine.

In all, around £5000 worth of the drug was recovered. Police also found two handguns – a James Bond style 9mm semi-automatic Walther PP1 and a Russian 9mm Tula Tokarev – as well as a rifle and ammunition. Glaswegian Brown admitted cocaine and gun possession and was sentenced to five years. Swansea Crown Court heard that Brown made so much money in the property business that he was able to retire aged just 36 and move to Portugal.



But in the nine years since, his “massive” addiction to cocaine had destroyed his face and ruined his life. Prosecutor Craig Jones said Brown was introduced to cocaine in Portugal. He took it every day, using cash from his business career to feed his habit. Brown developed a dangerous heart condition, and his face collapsed in on itself as the cocaine ate away at cartilage in his nose.

His drug use also left him paranoid. And after a cousin of his was murdered by a four-strong gang at a hotel, he began to fear for his safety and acquired his arsenal of guns. Brown’s counsel, John Hipkin, told the court: “He developed a massive cocaine addiction funded by legitimate means. He has suffered health issues, some cosmetic and some, like his cardiac condition, life- threatening. He’ll never return to that form of lifestyle again.”