Gangster has ‘ only £ 56k’ at hand from life of crime
A GANGSTER who called himself Mr Nice and played a major role in an international drug smuggling racket made £ 125,000 from his life of crime.
Tony Bennett, 34, headed up a multi- million pound importation racket linking his home in Cumbernauld to mobsters in Ecuador.
Cops who cracked encrypted messages on EncroChat phones found the dad- of- two used monikers Mr Nice and Kind Killer to conspire with around 60 other criminals around the globe.
In one note to a mystery user known as Insane Club he discussed setting up a drug lab to bulk out their haul and bring in an “extra £ 800,000” in wages.
The High Court in Glasgow heard Bennett and the other unnamed criminal lived the good life and discussed buying cocaine and “how it could net them a profit of £ 2.5 million”.
Bennett pleaded guilty last year
to serious organised crime charges between March and June 2020 at locations in Glasgow, nearby Uddingston and Cumbernauld.
However, prosecutors launched a proceeds of crime action against Bennett in a bid to recover his ill- gotten gains.
On Monday, judge Lord Summers heard the Crown and Bennett’s legal team had agreed Bennett had made £ 125,000 from his illegal activities.
However, the court heard that only £ 56,605.15 is available to be confiscated at this point in time. Lord Summers then gave permission for the sum to be handed over to the authorities.
At proceedings last year prosecutor David Dickson told the court Bennett was snared as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Venetic a sting linked to a hightech hack of EncroChat handsets carried out by French and Dutch crimebusters.
The sweep unearthed messages and images later passed on to Scots cops who turned up at Bennett’s door on August 18, 2021.
Mr Dickson told the court: “Bennett was concerned in the purchase, sale and supply of multiple kilogrammes of Class A drugs, principally cocaine and diamorphine, working with trusted criminal courier networks.
“He similarly operated with cash couriers responsible for the collection and management of criminal funds.
“An examination of the evidence recovered from EncroChat discloses that Bennett was actively involved in the purchase of raw drugs from South America and its ultimate sale and supply within Scotland.”
Bennett also planned to “purchase or transfer” a Skorpion machine gun on behalf of another associate from an EncroChat user dubbed Primemuffin.
Bennett was said to have suggested a trade- off for the deadly weapon, writing “the boy’s wanting £ 12,000 off his bill”.
The individual selling the gun - valued between £ 6000 and £ 12,500 - was later prepared to swap it for 300 grams of cocaine.
Judge Olga Pasportnikov asked Mr Dickson if the transaction took place, to which he replied: “It didn’t, it was just a discussion.”
The messages included Bennett revealing he would be prepared to pay £ 45,000 to recruit a drug lab expert to show cronies how to bulk out the powder.
Mr Dickson added: “An exchange disclosed a kilo of cocaine sold for £ 40,000.
“Bennett spoke about the potential for earning £ 100,000 a week.”
Bennett was jailed for three years and nine months.
Prosecutors can return to court to seize the remaining sum should it become available.