The Scottish High Court is hearing the case of 35-year-old Kristopher Purvis, who was found in possession of 45 kg of cocaine worth more than £5 million.
Mr Purvis was caught in July 2025 when a Border Force officer stopped him in the “Nothing to Declare” channel at Edinburgh Airport.
The drugs were found in vacuum-sealed bags covered in a mustard-like substance in the suitcases belonging to Mr Purvis and his travelling companion.
Mr Purvis had said the only things he acquired in Mexico were four colourful sombreros.
When he was arrested after the drugs were discovered, he reportedly responded: “Yeah, alright, I understand. I’m useless and f***ing stupid, and I’m f***ed anyway.”
Mr. Purvis also covered for his travelling companion, whose suitcase contained seven of the fifteen bags found, saying: “It’s all mine, my mate had nothing to do with it. I put it in his case.”
Like most UK cities, Edinburgh has experienced its fair share of cocaine and other drug-related substance use.
One common market is university students. A national survey of students in the UK in 2018 found that 39 per cent of respondents currently used drugs, most of whom admitted to having used cocaine before.
However, students who were interviewed said they had not observed much of a drug culture in Edinburgh.
When comparing the drug use in Edinburgh to that in London, one English student complained about the “virtually nonexistent” drug culture in the Scottish capital and expressed a longing for the drug utopia down south.
“Edinburgh Airport 1” by Ad Meskens is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.