Part of a stash of cocaine with a street value of almost £10 million was set to find its way on to the streets of Fife and Tayside, police have said.
A seven-strong gang with links to Dundee, Arbroath and Fife was given a total of more than 106 years in prison for their part in a massive smuggling ring at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.
The group are among 25 people who were caught after a four-year investigation by Lancashire Constabulary and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency across the UK and Europe.
The sting, codenamed Operation Greengage, discovered that drug mules had taken at least 70 trips to Europe and South America bringing an estimated half a kilo of the drug back to the UK with them each time.
Last night a Lancashire Constabulary spokeswoman said that, although the operation had been examining the import of the haul rather than its destination, it was likely some of the cocaine could have ended up in the east of Scotland.
“Because we were looking at this on an import level, we don’t really know where the drugs were headed,” she said.
“But it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that some of the drugs would have made it on to the streets of Dundee.”Drugs mulesWhat is known is that the gang’s mules, who flew into Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, used safe houses in Dundee, Arbroath and Fife after arriving in the UK.
That prompted detective superintendent Willie Semple, of Tayside Police’s operational support division, to warn that drug dealers, hawkers and couriers should not regard the area as a “safe haven.”
While stressing that he was aware of no evidence to suggest the gang’s cocaine had made it into Tayside communities, Mr Semple warned that the sentences handed down on Tuesday sent “a clear message.”
“The people involved in this trade shouldn’t regard Tayside as a safe haven and should be aware that we will pursue them vigorously,” he said.
“We share intelligence with partner agencies throughout the UK and those intending to travel to Tayside to fill a drugs market will be detected and we will take action against them.”
Tayside has long been known to be linked to the drug trade in north-west England but Mr Semple said police efforts were having a crippling effect on the deals.
He added, “If you’re thinking about shipping drugs through Dundee and Tayside you can expect to be caught and the punishment we’ve seen here speaks for itself.
“The arrests and convictions that we’ve seen undoubtedly show that law enforcement and police are effective but we can’t do this alone.
“Organised crime affects all levels of society and decent people living on Tayside with suspicions about people making money through organised crime should get in touch with the police.Misery of drugs”We know there’s people making good money out of this, living a lavish lifestyle but we also know that makes misery for people who are robbed or have their homes broken into or whose kids get mixed up in drugs.”
Efforts by Tayside Police over the past 12 months have seen dozens of suspects taken into custody and drugs valued at around £1 million taken off the streetssome from vehicles on the region’s major roads.
More than £160,000 in cash was also seized under the proceeds of crime actjust a part of the £1.7 million worth of assets held by police.
Gang godfather Michael Hailwood, originally from Liverpool but who lived in Dundee and Arbroath, received a 22-year jail sentence, while his right hand man Edward McIntosh, from Arbroath, was given 16 years.
Dundee man Leslie Graham received 14 years and eight months, Martin Graham (no relation), from Methil, 11 years and Polish courier Lucasz Litwinski, who lived in Arbroath, 15 years and four months.
Croydon dealer Jason Bowley received a 15-year and four-month sentence while Karol Siejda, who also lived in Arbroath, will serve 12 years.
A further 13 people from a European-wide network had already been given a total of 198 years imprisonment before Tuesday’s sentencing.