A notorious gangland hitman died after taking a cocktail of drugs behind bars, a sheriff has ruled. Andrew ‘Dumbo’ Gallacher, 43, was found collapsed in his cell in HMP Addiewell.
Tests later revealed his cause of death was intoxication from cocaine, street valium and antidepressants. The underworld henchman, who was linked to the Lyons family crime gang, had been jailed for 20 years over murder bid plots on Steven ‘Bonzo’ Daniel and other rivals.
A fatal accident inquiry at Livingston Sheriff Court heard mail had previously been seized from Gallacher due to them testing positive for illicit substances. Gallacher, who suffered chronic back pain and heartburn, had told jail staff he did not have addiction issues and was not subjected to drug testing.
Sheriff Peter Hammond heard police were unable to determine who had supplied the drugs Gallacher had taken before his death in November 2021. The sheriff ruled no precautions could have been taken to avoid the death and made no recommendations.
In a written judgment, Sheriff Hammond said: “Having considered the terms of the joint minute, the witness statements, affidavits and productions, together with the parties’ written submissions, I am in agreement that only formal findings are appropriate here.
“It is not known where Mr Gallacher got these substances from. Although there had been items of mail addressed to him in the past which had been seized because they tested positive for illicit substances, Mr Gallacher had reported that he did not have addiction or mental health issues.”
The sheriff added: “Any death in custody is a tragedy. There is a well-publicised problem with availability of illicit substances within the prison estate. The prison authorities are alert to this and monitor the situation as best as they can to prevent such substances getting into the custodial setting.”
Gallacher and five other Lyons cronies were caged for a total of 104 years for the murder bid and chilling plots to target other Daniel associates. Their trial heard they turned Glasgow into a ‘warzone’ as they plotted to kill crime clan rivals.
The thug was a long-time rival of the Daniel clan and was once shot by feared enforcer Kevin ‘Gerbil’ Carroll. Three months before he died Gallacher was attacked behind bars in a savage ambush.
He was targeted by a fellow inmate as he painted a building within the jail complex.