Two skippers involved in the widespread Black Fish scam have been ordered to hand over nearly £180,000.
John MacLeod, 57, and Michael MacLeod, 33, illegally landed above quota catches of fish at Fresh Catch Ltd in Peterhead between 2003 and 2005.
The pair both appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, where confiscation orders of £150,000 and £27,000 respectively were made.
The two men will return to court in May to be sentenced for their offences.
The skippers falsely declared the quantities of mackerel and herring they were landing at the Peterhead processing plant, as a way of evading the annual fishing quota assigned to each vessel.
They are part of the major Black Fish scandal which has been dubbed an "episode of shame for the industry".
More than two dozen fishermen and three fish processing plants - in Shetland and Peterhead have admitted their part in the fraud.
Fines of nearly £1m were handed out to others involved last month.
Lindsey Miller, head of the serious and organised crime division for the Crown, said: "In committing these offences these two accused put their own financial gain first. Make no mistake these individuals were involved in significant organised criminality.
"The investigation is continuing into other landings and the Crown will continue to work with police and other agencies to maximise the powers under the Proceeds of Crime legislation, to target anyone that would seek to benefit from their crimes."
Detective superintendent Gordon Gibson, of Grampian Police, said: "It is my hope that a clear message has been sent out to those involved that they will not be allowed to profit from such criminality.
"I look forward to the sizeable sum which has been confiscated under the proceeds of crime being distributed to many worthwhile causes across our communities in Scotland."
IN DETAIL

To leave a comment, please sign in.