Detectives thwarted an attempt to rob an upmarket jewellers in Fife after being tipped off by the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad.
A seven-strong crime gang travelled up to St Andrews where they planned to target Mappin and Webb at the five-star Old Course Hotel.
Some of the men were known to Scotland Yard who contacted colleagues north of the border, prompting a surveillance operation.
All seven were found guilty of planning an armed robbery on March 3 last year following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Police Scotland said.
The court heard officers monitored a property in Aboyne Street, Glasgow, where Peter Attwood, 44, Kevin Mulheron, 34, and Kai McGinley, 18, were seen getting into a car and travelling to various stores before setting off for St Andrews.
Paul Hogwood, 56, Benson Aluko, 20, and Tommy Slayford, 20, left the same address and travelled separately in a van to the coastal town.
Police surrounded both vehicles and detained the men, and recovered weapons, balaclavas and gloves from the van.
Louie Attwood, 21, was also prosecuted for his role in the robbery attempt.
Detective Inspector Stevie Sandilands, from Police Scotland’s organised crime and counter-terrorism unit, said: “Thanks to vital information that was provided by our colleagues at the Metropolitan Police, we were able to carry out extensive surveillance activity on this crime group and track their movements on the day they intended to carry out the robbery in St Andrews.
“I would like to thank the Met for their proactive and swift assistance, which ultimately helped us stop a potentially violent and dangerous incident taking place.
“Using a number of local and specialist Police Scotland resources, we were able to effectively monitor and then disrupt the activities of these men before they could successfully target the premises they had been intent on robbing.”
Detective Inspector Nick Blackburn, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “This case demonstrates the success of strong joint working between the Met’s Flying Squad and our colleagues in Police Scotland.
“By working together across force borders, a network of dangerous individuals have been brought to justice before they could carry out this audacious crime.”
See Wednesday’s Courier for more on this story.