Final member of criminal gang jailed

A former fugitive has become the final member of a sophisticated Scottish crime gang to face justice after he was yesterday jailed for seven years.

Paul Scott, 47, provided technical expertise in counter-surveillance and concealment to a criminal organisation which was trafficking cocaine.

Scott, of Rut her glen, Glasgow, fled to Europe after being freed on bail, and was the last member of the gang to be jailed following major police operations to break up the criminal enterprise.

Former accomplices, David Sell, Barry O’neil, Anthony Woods, Francis Mulligan, Mark Richardson, Gerard Docherty, Steven Mcardle, Michael Bowman and Martyn Fitzsimmons were jailed for a total of 87 years for a variety of offences, including Class A drug trafficking, firearms, dirty money crimes, serious violence and abduction.

Scott evaded police for nearly two years after fleeing the country before he was caught in the Spanish capital, Madrid, in November last year.

Judge Lord Beckett said Scott was involved in facilitating “crime on a grand scale”.

He said Scott had accepted involvement with vehicles and premises used to store and transport money, drugs, firearms, ammunition, a hand grenade and anti-surveillance equipment used to further serious organised crime.

The judge said :“For such sophisticated criminal conduct there is no suitable alternative to a prison sentence.”