Police target 'top 20' Scottish crime gangs with foreign links
Published Date: 03 June 2010
POLICE have identified a "top 20" of criminal gangs who are orchestrating the bulk of drug dealing, human trafficking, prostitution and other organised crime in Scotland.
The gangs not only operate Scotland-wide but have also developed extensive links all over the world. This means they are now able to bring uncut cocaine direct to Scotland, instead of channelling it through the old networks of mainland Europe and Lo
ndon, where it would have been diluted.
Police have passed details of 40 of Scotland's international crime lords to Europol, so the organisation can investigate their interests abroad.
They have also identified ten "accountants", criminal bankers used by various gangs to channel the proceeds of crime into seemingly legitimate businesses.
Strathclyde chief constable Stephen House, who was speaking at the first anniversary of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce in Dundee, said they planned to target "taxi companies, pubs and clubs, tanning salons, nail bars, car washes and tragically also children's nurseries and soft play areas" which are used to launder money.
He added: "We're up against highly intelligent, highly motivated people, who in some cases have not added to their criminal records in years, maybe decades.
"The fact that we can't get a prosecution should not stop society taking action. We have set up a taskforce to look at how to do this. It may be that if a judge says I'm convinced of this, that would be enough to deny them a directorship or licensing of any kind, and they would go on a watch list."
At the launch of the crime taskforce last year, the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) revealed a map of organised crime in Scotland, made up of more than 350 gangs and 4,000 individuals.
For the last year they have been trying to prosecute and stop them importing drugs into Scotland, but they now believe that stripping them of the millions they make from crime, and the houses and cars they buy with their proceeds, is a better way of deterring criminals from setting up in Scotland, rather than just sending them to jail.
Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said: "It's our intention to further develop experts to infiltrate organised crime. We will be relentless in pursuing the profits of their criminal activity, even beyond the grave.
"At some point they will lose the financial gains from their crimes, even if they are enjoying them at the moment. They should not sleep easy."
More than £5.5m was recovered from crime gangs using Proceeds of Crime legislation last year, but this is a fraction of the amount referred to the Crown as criminals manage to water down or siphon off assets between arrest and conviction.
Gordon Meldrum, director general of the SCDEA, said:
"We have a clear idea of the top 20. All are being actively worked against by a broad coalition of law enforcement agencies and other partners."
Kenny MacAskill, justice secretary, added: "This is the start, not the finish. It's a situation that's evolving.
"We must remember that serious crime affects us all.
ndon, where it would have been diluted.
Police have passed details of 40 of Scotland's international crime lords to Europol, so the organisation can investigate their interests abroad.
They have also identified ten "accountants", criminal bankers used by various gangs to channel the proceeds of crime into seemingly legitimate businesses.
Strathclyde chief constable Stephen House, who was speaking at the first anniversary of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce in Dundee, said they planned to target "taxi companies, pubs and clubs, tanning salons, nail bars, car washes and tragically also children's nurseries and soft play areas" which are used to launder money.
He added: "We're up against highly intelligent, highly motivated people, who in some cases have not added to their criminal records in years, maybe decades.
"The fact that we can't get a prosecution should not stop society taking action. We have set up a taskforce to look at how to do this. It may be that if a judge says I'm convinced of this, that would be enough to deny them a directorship or licensing of any kind, and they would go on a watch list."
At the launch of the crime taskforce last year, the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) revealed a map of organised crime in Scotland, made up of more than 350 gangs and 4,000 individuals.
For the last year they have been trying to prosecute and stop them importing drugs into Scotland, but they now believe that stripping them of the millions they make from crime, and the houses and cars they buy with their proceeds, is a better way of deterring criminals from setting up in Scotland, rather than just sending them to jail.
Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said: "It's our intention to further develop experts to infiltrate organised crime. We will be relentless in pursuing the profits of their criminal activity, even beyond the grave.
"At some point they will lose the financial gains from their crimes, even if they are enjoying them at the moment. They should not sleep easy."
More than £5.5m was recovered from crime gangs using Proceeds of Crime legislation last year, but this is a fraction of the amount referred to the Crown as criminals manage to water down or siphon off assets between arrest and conviction.
Gordon Meldrum, director general of the SCDEA, said:
"We have a clear idea of the top 20. All are being actively worked against by a broad coalition of law enforcement agencies and other partners."
Kenny MacAskill, justice secretary, added: "This is the start, not the finish. It's a situation that's evolving.
"We must remember that serious crime affects us all.
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