COP RAID FIRM IS PUT OUT OF BUSINESS

Jenny Foulds • Published 21 Jul 2009 08:00

A DODGY Dumbarton company - which was raided by police last year - has been effectively forced out of business after it was found to be operating illegally.

KDC Storage and Distribution - which has links to a convicted drug dealer - was last week refused a haulage licence following the damning findings of a public inquiry into the business.

The inquiry found that KDC had been operating illegally for at least 18 months by using another company's licences and demonstrated a "lack of repute".

One of the directors of the company during this time was Henry Craig, 36, who served a three-and-a-half year jail sentence after being found with two kilos of cocaine in his car in 2001.

Craig, of Bowling, was last year named in a failed bid to run three taxis in Dumbarton after his sister-in-law Lisa Donnachie, 30, made applications for licences for the cars bought by Craig.

Ms Donnachie's name was also used to apply for international haulage licence to operate eight trucks and ten trailers for KDC.

Ms Donnachie, also of Bowling, was named as a director of the firm but she was not according to Companies House records.

In September of last year a police squad and traffic examiners raided the business' HQ in the Castlegreen Street Industrial Estate in Dumbarton East, pictured.

As investigations continued, Craig resigned from KDC in January this year leaving Steven Donnachie, 35, Lisa Donnachie's brother, as the sole director.

During the Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken's probe, it was discovered that Steven Donnachie was using licences which had been granted for two other transport companies to "front" KDC operations.

It was also discovered that Craig was still, by his own admission, involved in the business.

During another visit by traffic examiners on February 10 2009 he told investigators, while under caution, that he was the managing director of KDC and "that he was the sole director and that KDC did not currently operate any goods vehicles or hold a goods vehicle operator licence".

The inquiry heard how Companies House lists Steven Donnachie, of Bowling, as a director for two other haulage firms - SOW and Smith of Whiteinch.

SOW, which was based in Clydebank, had a dubious record, and had its operating licence, for 20 vehicles and 50 trailers, revoked by the commissioner in November of last year.

A spokesman for the Traffic Commissioner confirmed that KDC will no longer be able to operate haulage vehicles.

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This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 21 Jul 09

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