Inmate who made £39k from drugs ordered to hand over £1

Prosecutors have seized just £1 from a prisoner who made more than £39,000 running a drugs smuggling operation from three jails.

Craig Sutton, 38, made tens of thousands of pounds whilst running an illicit criminal enterprise from HMP Perth, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Addiewell.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how Sutton overseen a scam between February 2015 to July 2017 in which dealers on the outside supplied heroin and ecstasy to customers.

But at a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, Crown lawyers and Sutton’s defence team agreed that the crook pocketed £39 ,625 from the scam.

Judge Lord Tyre also heard that investigators concluded that none of that sum was available at this point in time.

Lord Tyre was also told that prosecutors and defence lawyers were agreed that Sutton, of Renfrew, should hand over £1 under proceeds of crime legislation.

The judge then agreed during that Sutton should hand over the sum.

Sutton pleaded guilty to drug dealing charges before judge Lord Burns at a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow in September 2020.

On that occasion, judge Lord Burns heard how Sutton was caught after mentioning his criminal activities in letters and speaking about it openly on prison phones.

The court heard that the offences only came to light on July 19, 2017 at HMP Addiewell when a fire alarm went off in a neighbouring cell to Sutton.

Prosecutor Mark McGuire said: “For safety’s sake prison officers began checking the surrounding cells including Mr Sutton’s which had been locked from the inside.

“On unlocking the door they observed a number of people in the cell including the accused.

“A smell of burning was noticed and they were ordered out and the cell searched and a small quantity of heroin was found and drug related paraphernalia and a suspected tick list.”

Sutton’s cell was sealed and fully searched by police on September 8, 2017 and this revealed dozens of letters addressed to Sutton from other prisoners.

There was also an unsent letter written by Sutton in which he set out his plan to smuggle drugs into prison.

Mr McGuire said: “This would be by arranging for third parties on the outside to conceal multiple quantities of drugs internally; commit high value shoplifting and claim to be of no fixed abode so that they would be remanded in custody.”

Police also seized recordings of all telephone calls made or received by Sutton since he was jailed in 2014.

Co-accused Natalie Williamson, 30, also from Renfrew, admitted allowing her bank account to be used to deposit £30,000 of criminal money.

Mr McGuire added: “Those recordings included frequent discussions between the accused Sutton and the accused Williamson during which Sutton made frequent reference to his trafficking in heroin and Ecstasy inside and outside of the prison.

“Discussions also took place between the two regarding the use of Williamson’s bank account to receive the money owed to Sutton for drugs.

“Regular mention was made of drugs which he had either supplied or arranged to have supplied and for which payment had not been made.

“The money received into Williamson’s account make it clear the drugs trafficked by Sutton were worth at least £30,000.”

Sutton was jailed for five years and three months for the offences.

Yesterday, defence advocate Jennifer Bain told Lord Tyre that she and prosecutors had agreed that Sutton’s criminal benefit was £39,625 and that no money from that sum was available.

She said that lawyers were agreed that Sutton should hand over £1.

Prosecutors can return to court to seize more cash if investigators manage to discover that Sutton has any other assets which he obtained from wrongdoing.