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David McMillan was part of a gang that supplied more than a ton of cannabis and generated more than £2 million in cash
David McMillan was part of a gang that supplied more than a ton of cannabis and generated more than £2 million in cash.
The 42-year-old, of Cardonald, Glasgow, has agreed to settle a confiscation action for less than £3,000 after prosecutors brought a proceeds of crime action him.
McMillan admitted being involved in serious organised crime between March 2020 and July the following year, The Scottish Daily Express reports.
In that time he had teamed up with Craig Dineen (33) and others to traffic drugs in Renfrewshire and the Pollok, Cardonald and Pollokshields areas of Glasgow.
A police operation called Juneberry was launched against the gang after their encrypted Encrochat messages were accessed by European law enforcement authorities.
In July 2021 they had McMillan under surveillance when they tried to halt a Volkswagen Transporter van he reversed at speed and made his getaway.
However, he was later caught and jailed for five years and three months for his role in the crime at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2023
He returned to the same court yesterday when judge Lord Cubie was told a settlement had been reached in the proceeds of crime action.
Prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel said that in Encrochat messages there were references to 2,425lb of drugs and cash totalling more than £2million.
“It is a snapshot from the period March to June 2020,” she added.
Defence counsel Allan Macleod said it was agreed that the benefit from general criminal conduct by McMillan was in excess of £7.5million.
He said it was also agreed that the amount available for a confiscation order was £2,665.
Advocate depute Bryan Heaney said the Crown could come back seeking further funds if McMillan were to come into money after the order was made.
Lord Cubie made a confiscation order in the agreed terms.
Dineen, of Renfrew, was imprisoned for six years at the High Court in Edinburgh in June 2023.
At an earlier hearing, the court heard how Dineen began running the drug-smuggling scheme during the first Covid lockdown from the back of a van.
Prosecutors told the High Court in Glasgow that he had been identified as the ringleader of the gang after officers accessed encrypted messages between him and other gang members.
Those conversations linked the gang to a haul of controlled drugs and cash totalling more than £2million.
The court heard how Dineen displayed his wealth and lived a luxury lifestyle from his life of crime. He wore expensive watches and designer clothes and drove a Range Rover valued at £97,500.
Kenny Donnelly, Deputy Crown Agent, Specialist Casework, said: “This was a coordinated effort to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service worked closely with the police to build a strong case resulting in these convictions and disrupting a network of drug supply.
“As a result, a significant quantity of drugs has been removed from the streets. This underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.
“We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements. With each case of this kind, we can help reduce the harm these drugs inflict on those communities.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Vicky Watson, head of the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, said at the time: “This seizure undoubtedly caused significant disruption to a large-scale, cross-border supply chain bringing drugs into Scotland.
“Police Scotland will not allow criminals and organised crime groups to profit from other people’s misery.”
“}]] A drug dealer who pocketed more than £7.5m from a life of crime has been told he must pay back just £3,000. Read More
