Five members of a criminal gang running a drug business in residential areas have been sentenced to a total of more than 31 years in prison after being caught in connection with an encrypted phone scam.
Ringleader Lee Docherty, 37, his right-hand man and brother-in-law Ian Miller, 39, Brendan Gillan, 32, his father Daniel Gillan, 60, and Christopher Gillan, 44 McKellar, dealt drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
High Court in Glasgow Heard how the gang controlled the sale and supply of Class A drugs, including cocaine, heroin, cannabis and etizolam, from a “highly secure” property in the Clarkfield housing estate in Greenough, Inverclyde.
Their operation was thwarted after French authorities intercepted encrypted messages on the EncroChat platform, a communications network favored by criminals, and passed them on to police Scotland.
The court heard one piece of information related to Valium pills with a street value of more than £700,000.
Drug scale.Image: Crown Office
Image: Crown Office
Police seized drugs worth £150,000 as well as £12,775 in cash during a raid in December 2020 at the Oxford Road property known as the ‘shop’ or ‘trap’.
Prosecutors said the gang caused “chaos and destruction” in local communities.
Sineidin Corrins, deputy prosecutor for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Crown Prosecution Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “The criminal activities of these individuals have affected Greenough Clark Field through their actions over many years. The daily lives of many ordinary people in the area. Seriously involved in serious organized crime.
“They caused widespread disorder and disruption in local communities through the supply of drugs and their impact on young people.
“This extends to all aspects of the community, from local people living in the area to those running shops or businesses.
“But now, thanks to the efforts of Police Scotland officers and COPFS prosecutors, their hold on local communities has been broken down.”
A door to the “shop”.Image: Crown Office
The men, who previously admitted being involved in serious organized crime between March and December 2020, were sentenced on Thursday.
Docherty was jailed for eight years, while Miller, who was responsible for transporting the drugs, was sentenced to six years.
Brendan Gillan was also jailed for six years, while his father was jailed for six years and four months.
McKellar was jailed for five years and four months.
Ms Collins added: “Members of this community can now move forward in safety knowing that these five men will spend a long time in prison and they have now been brought to justice for these crimes. Such crimes There are consequences.”
Read more from Sky News:
EncroChat: What is it, who is running it, and how do criminals get their hands on encrypted phones?
Drug dealers tricked into having cannabis disguised as Wonka chocolate bars
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The court also agreed to impose serious crime prevention orders on Docherty, Miller and young Gillan.
All five will also be the subject of confiscation proceedings under proceeds of crime legislation.
Detective Chief Inspector Robert Bowie, the senior investigating officer on the case, described the men as a “scourge” on the Greenock community and the wider Inverclyde area and said they “pursued their own interests and caused harm.”
He added: “Together with partners, our officers worked tirelessly to expose the criminal activities of this group, culminating in their facing justice today.”
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