Editing Johnny Adair (section)

===First conviction===
During this time, undercover officers from the RUC had recorded months of discussions with Adair in which he boasted of his activities, producing enough evidence to charge him with directing terrorism. He was convicted on 6 September 1995 and sentenced to 16 years in the [[Maze (HM Prison)|Maze]] prison.<ref>Taylor, Peter (1999). ''Loyalists''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. 233<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref> As is standard practice in the UDA, Adair vacated his position as Brigadier upon entering prison, with his friend [[Winkie Dodds]] succeeding him.<ref>Lister & Jordan, p. 227</ref>

Adair was held with other loyalist prisoners in their "block" of the prison. In prison, according to some reports, Adair sold drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy tablets and amphetamines to other loyalist prisoners, earning him an income of £5,000 a week.<ref name=examiner>[http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2000/08/24/current/i_text.htm Mad Dog finds peace is bad for business] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311153152/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2000/08/24/current/i_text.htm |date=11 March 2007 }}, ''[[Irish Examiner]]'', 24 August 2000.</ref>

In January 1998, Adair was one of five loyalist prisoners visited in the prison by British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland [[Mo Mowlam]]. She persuaded them to drop their objection to their political representatives continuing the talks that led to the [[Good Friday Agreement]] in April that year. Following the killing of [[Loyalist Volunteer Force]] (LVF) leader [[Billy Wright (loyalist)|Billy Wright]] inside the Maze prison by the [[Irish National Liberation Army|INLA]] the previous December, the UDA prisoners had voted two to one to withdraw from the peace process.<ref>Taylor, p. 245</ref> Adair's co-operation was essential as he was regarded as the key figure in securing the support of the other loyalist prisoners.<ref name="bbcnews"/>

At the end of April 1999, while he was on home leave from prison, Adair was shot at and grazed by a bullet in the head at a UB40 concert in Belfast which he had attended with his wife.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/333547.stm "Republicans behind Adair shooting?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105113757/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/333547.stm |date=5 January 2009 }}, BBC News; accessed 12 September 2016.</ref> He blamed the shooting on republicans, although a drug dealer {{Who|date=December 2016}} was responsible.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liiq7RU67OoC&q=billy+mcfarland+loyalist+prison&pg=PA211|title=Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA|author=Ian S. Wood|year=2006|page=211|isbn=9780748624270|access-date=16 December 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0502/adair.html "RUC investigate Johnny Adair shooting claim"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050215082844/http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0502/adair.html |date=15 February 2005 }}, RTÉ News, 2 May 1999.</ref> In September 1999, Adair was released as part of the early-release scheme for paramilitary prisoners under the [[Belfast Agreement]].<ref name="bbcnews"/>