The Drug Supply Chain

[killingeve]

It was established at trial that Jodie's cousin, John Ferris, was selling cannabis to Luke who in turn shared it with friends including Jodie.  Who was supplying John Ferris?  How far back does the chain go? 

[nugnug]

thats a goo qution o farit hasnt been establihe  properly

thouh i belive ferris delivere a9barto joie houe that day and leftitin the are of jodies brother.

[Germane]

Don’t know how drug deals or drug dealers work, and no am I from Dalkeith. I would guess the main drug dealer was a Mr Big type from Edinburgh (I’d imagine there were 3 or 4 Mr Bigs working in different areas of a big city like Edinburgh). I reckon that JOFER was a street soldier working for a bigger, main street soldier in Dalkeith, and this main soldier was a contact point for all the street soldiers who operated in the villlages and areas that fell under Dalkeith (eg, Newtongrange, Eskbank, woodburn, Newbattle, easthouses). I think the street soldiers in these little villages and areas had little helpers who they would let push their product at schools and on the streets. Luke Mitchell was probably a helper to a street soldier. Just a guess.

[nugnug]

ferri swas16 so there wa no wayhe wa runinga drugs syndiate himself

[Davie2]

It was established at trial that Jodie's cousin, John Ferris, was selling cannabis to Luke who in turn shared it with friends including Jodie.  Who was supplying John Ferris?  How far back does the chain go?

Ferris probably got laid-on a "9 bar" 9 ounces, 250gram of compressed hash.
(Laid-on, means get now pay later, probably with-in a few weeks) The cost of this varies in 2003 probably around £400/500. He would then cut his 9 bar into ounces and disrepute that to the likes of Mitchell for about £80/90 per ounce. Maybe he laid-on this or maybe he asked for the money up front, who knows. But i suspect he would have needed the money quickly to pay his dealer. Mitchell, then would have cut (he had the tools) his ounce's into scores/quarters and sold them on. Scores for £30, quarter for £15. 8 quarters in an ounce = £120, £30/40 profit for him. The more ounces he sells, the more profit, or the more smoke he gets for himself.

The person that supplied Ferris, we don't know. Probably someone local that was dealing in half kilo's, possibly full kilo's. You get around 35/36 ounces in a kilo. His dealer was probably a big shot from Edinburgh. There probably would have been several players in the Edinburgh area dealing with such quantities. The large quantities were probably driven up to Edinburgh by drug mules for Liverpool gangsters.

Now, the question I ask is what relevance does the supplier of Ferris have to do with Luke Mitchell murdering Jodi? 

[Bubo bubo]

Ferris probably got laid-on a "9 bar" 9 ounces, 250gram of compressed hash.
(Laid-on, means get now pay later, probably with-in a few weeks) The cost of this varies in 2003 probably around £400/500. He would then cut his 9 bar into ounces and disrepute that to the likes of Mitchell for about £80/90 per ounce. Maybe he laid-on this or maybe he asked for the money up front, who knows. But i suspect he would have needed the money quickly to pay his dealer. Mitchell, then would have cut (he had the tools) his ounce's into scores/quarters and sold them on. Scores for £30, quarter for £15. 8 quarters in an ounce = £120, £30/40 profit for him. The more ounces he sells, the more profit, or the more smoke he gets for himself.

The person that supplied Ferris, we don't know. Probably someone local that was dealing in half kilo's, possibly full kilo's. You get around 35/36 ounces in a kilo. His dealer was probably a big shot from Edinburgh. There probably would have been several players in the Edinburgh area dealing with such quantities. The large quantities were probably driven up to Edinburgh by drug mules for Liverpool gangsters.

Now, the question I ask is what relevance does the supplier of Ferris have to do with Luke Mitchell murdering Jodi?

I think that if you have doubts about the LM case and tend to think towards innocence it is only right and proper to look for alternative scenarios. I suspect that CC was trying to see and understand the local area. Perhaps she might think that there is a drug related element to this crime that does not  mean LM is completely off the hook but may not have been the killer. I'm sure she can post for herself if she so chooses.

[Davie2]

I'm sure she can post for herself if she so chooses.

Wow, so now you speak for other posters?

[Bubo bubo]

Wow, so now you speak for other posters?

You posed an open question without asking any one in particular. I was only suggesting that such a question is worthy of examination. It might be that we are looking at a joint enterprise situation with drugs as part of the equation. LM could have been there, knows who did it but took no active part. This would account for the lack of forensics for example. It is a legitimate area to be explored.

Discussion forums would be pointless if we all just accepted the verdict and moved on

[killingeve]

Ferris probably got laid-on a "9 bar" 9 ounces, 250gram of compressed hash.
(Laid-on, means get now pay later, probably with-in a few weeks) The cost of this varies in 2003 probably around £400/500. He would then cut his 9 bar into ounces and disrepute that to the likes of Mitchell for about £80/90 per ounce. Maybe he laid-on this or maybe he asked for the money up front, who knows. But i suspect he would have needed the money quickly to pay his dealer. Mitchell, then would have cut (he had the tools) his ounce's into scores/quarters and sold them on. Scores for £30, quarter for £15. 8 quarters in an ounce = £120, £30/40 profit for him. The more ounces he sells, the more profit, or the more smoke he gets for himself.

The person that supplied Ferris, we don't know. Probably someone local that was dealing in half kilo's, possibly full kilo's. You get around 35/36 ounces in a kilo. His dealer was probably a big shot from Edinburgh. There probably would have been several players in the Edinburgh area dealing with such quantities. The large quantities were probably driven up to Edinburgh by drug mules for Liverpool gangsters.

Now, the question I ask is what relevance does the supplier of Ferris have to do with Luke Mitchell murdering Jodi?

I'm not convinced Luke did murder Jodie.

The behaviour of John Ferris post murder appeared somewhat odd:

JODI JONES'S second cousin was yesterday asked if he had murdered the schoolgirl.

John Ferris was quizzed at the trial of her boyfriend Luke Mitchell.

Ferris,18,and a cousin Gordon Dickie had ridden a moped near the spot in Dalkeith, Midlothian, where Jodi's body was found last June.

But Donald Findlay QC, defending Mitchell, said he had 'chopped and changed' the time in his story of the journey.

He had also hacked off his curly hair following media reports describing a mystery man seen following Jodi.

The lawyer also quizzed Ferris on why he waited until five days after the killing before speaking to police.

And he said, on the evening of the killing, Ferris failed to keep an arrangement to meet Jodi's brother Joseph at the house from which she walked to her death.

Mr Findlay challenged Ferris: 'Did you murder Jodi?'He replied:'No.'

Findlay: 'Did Mr Dickie murder Jodi?' Ferris:'No.'

Findlay: 'Did the two of you murder Jodi?' Ferris:'No.'

Ferris told detectives hunting Jodi's killer that he and his cousin headed up the Roan's Dyke path at about 4.30pm.

But other witnesses told police they heard the noisy moped, which did not have a proper silencer, close to one end of the path after 5pm.

Mr Findlay said Ferris and Dickie gave accounts which wrongly put them at Dickie's house 15 minutes before Jodi, 14, is thought to have been killed.

 But Ferris denied discussing with Dickie what they would say to the police before they gave statements.

Ferris admitted in court that he had only gone to police five days after Jodi died after a TV news report about attempts to trace two youths on a motorbike left him 'shaking'.

Mr Findlay showed the court a selection of newspaper reports describing a potential suspect with curly hair.

He asked Ferris: 'Why were you so keen to get rid of your curly hair that you cut it yourself, making such a mess of it you had to get it sorted professionally?'

Ferris replied: 'I don't know.'

He also denied his personality had changed in the wake of Jodi's death.

And he told Mr Findlay he had failed to keep his arrangement with Jodi's brother because he was having a drink with his cousin instead.

Ferris, who now lives in Ayrshire, told the court he was no longer welcomed by members of Jodi's family.

Mr Findlay pointed to 16-year-old Mitchell in the dock, claiming he had been 'hounded by the Press' and 'locked up since April'.

He asked Ferris: 'Isn't there something now that you just might like to tell us? This might be your last opportunity to do the decent thing.'

He again asked Ferris if he had murdered Jodi. When the witness denied it, Findlay asked: 'Is that your final word?' Ferris replied softly: 'My final word.'

Earlier, Ferris, whose half-sister is Jodi's cousin, admitted supplying cannabis to Mitchell.

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DID+YOU+MURDER+JODI%3F+QC%27s+challenge+to+her+cousin+at+High+Court.-a0125208334

I am not suggesting he was responsible for murdering Jodie but its possible Jodie got caught up in something drug related and he knew more than he let on. 

Was the area by the V in the wall a regular place for carrying out drug deals? 

[nugnug]

if we did ate range searhes for arests of drug dealers it might give us a clue

[Davie2]

I am not suggesting he was responsible for murdering Jodie but its possible Jodie got caught up in something drug related and he knew more than he let on. 

Was the area by the V in the wall a regular place for carrying out drug deals?

Ok, so you are thinking some drug dealer murdered then went back to mutilate a 14 year old girl over umm I dunno a few joints worth? Is there any sources you can provide, that suggests that Jodi bought her own hash and had business with drug dealers? 
Also, is there any sources that can tell us more about the relationship, if any, that she had with Ferris? I mean, did she even talk to him?

[killingeve]

Ok, so you are thinking some drug dealer murdered then went back to mutilate a 14 year old girl over umm I dunno a few joints worth? Is there any sources you can provide, that suggests that Jodi bought her own hash and had business with drug dealers? 
Also, is there any sources that can tell us more about the relationship, if any, that she had with Ferris? I mean, did she even talk to him?

I think Ferris' behaviour is extremely suspicious evidenced by the fact Luke's QC was able to ask Ferris whether he murdered Jodie.  QC's are not allowed to go on fishing expeditions.  I doubt he physcially harmed Jodie but he might have knowledge about her murder and fearful of repirsals has remained quiet. 

I understand Ferris and Jodie were cousins.  He was due to visit Jodie's brother on the night of the murder but didn't turn up.  After the murder Ferris was ostracised by the Jones family. 

If you care to Google 'drug debt murder uk' you will find numerous cases of extreme violence used over small sums of money/quantities of drugs. 

It could be that Jodie was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in something much the same way that schoolboy Rhys Jones was. 

[Bubo bubo]

I think Ferris' behaviour is extremely suspicious evidenced by the fact Luke's QC was able to ask Ferris whether he murdered Jodie.  QC's are not allowed to go on fishing expeditions.  I doubt he physcially harmed Jodie but he might have knowledge about her murder and fearful of repirsals has remained quiet. 

I understand Ferris and Jodie were cousins.  He was due to visit Jodie's brother on the night of the murder but didn't turn up.  After the murder Ferris was ostracised by the Jones family. 

If you care to Google 'drug debt murder uk' you will find numerous cases of extreme violence used over small sums of money/quantities of drugs. 

It could be that Jodie was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in something much the same way that schoolboy Rhys Jones was.

Maybe they did not want to involve the family in the construction of their alibi for obvious reasons but found it difficult to account for all their timings.

[Davie2]

I think Ferris' behaviour is extremely suspicious evidenced by the fact Luke's QC was able to ask Ferris whether he murdered Jodie.  QC's are not allowed to go on fishing expeditions.  I doubt he physcially harmed Jodie but he might have knowledge about her murder and fearful of repirsals has remained quiet. 

I understand Ferris and Jodie were cousins.  He was due to visit Jodie's brother on the night of the murder but didn't turn up.  After the murder Ferris was ostracised by the Jones family. 

If you care to Google 'drug debt murder uk' you will find numerous cases of extreme violence used over small sums of money/quantities of drugs. 

It could be that Jodie was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in something much the same way that schoolboy Rhys Jones was.

Just out of curiosity, I have a few questions.

What were the boys doing. Before they got to the tool hire yard? Why were they out on their moped, why were they in town?

What time was closing time? What does that really mean? Were they preparing towards closing time? Tidy up, locking up etc? What was the exact time the boys were chased out the yard?

Who seen the moped at the V unmanned? And from where?

What evidence, do we really have that Ferris was due to visit the Jones that evening?

Goodluck.

[Bubo bubo]

Just out of curiosity, I have a few questions.

What were the boys doing. Before they got to the tool hire yard? Why were they out on their moped, why were they in town?

What time was closing time? What does that really mean? Were they preparing towards closing time? Tidy up, locking up etc? What was the exact time the boys were chased out the yard?

Who seen the moped at the V unmanned? And from where?

What evidence, do we really have that Ferris was due to visit the Jones that evening?

Goodluck.

It would be useful if you could provide this information for those of us trying to fathom out what happened and if it equates to the current narrative. You seem to know a lot about the case do YOU have answers to these questions?