Five men handed serious crime prevention orders after cocaine worth £76m seized from banana crates

Five members of a drugs-trafficking gang have been handed restriction orders after cocaine worth £76m was seized from banana crates.

The men were recently sentenced after admitting their involvement in an operation to flood Scotland with almost a tonne of cocaine imported from Ecuador.

The plot was orchestrated by Scots crime boss Jamie “Iceman” Stevenson, who pled guilty mid-trial at the High Court in Glasgow to directing others to commit a serious offence and being involved in serious organised crime.

Gerard Carbin, 45, James Bilsland, 68, Lloyd Cross, 32, Ryan McPhee, 34 and Paul Bowes, 53, were imprisoned for a total of 29 years.

Stevenson, 59, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October.

The men were issued serious crime prevention orders (SCPOs) following a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The orders will be in place for four years after their release from prison and will impose “significant and stringent restrictions on the activities” of each man.

However crime boss Stevenson has not been handed the legal order after Lord Ericht concluded on Tuesday that it wouldn’t be “proportionate” to impose a Serious Crime Prevention Order on him at this time.

The judge told lawyers at the High Court in Edinburgh that they should return to the court in the 2040s – when Stevenson is scheduled for release – if they still want to impose the order.

As part of the SCPOs, each individual will be required to notify the police of their movements and inform the authorities of any business interests.

The orders also restrict the number of communication devices each man can own and prohibit any contact between them upon their release from custody.

Confiscation hearings will take place in January under Proceeds of Crime legislation to recover money earned from their criminal activities.

Sineidin Corrins, deputy procurator fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said the orders granted against the men are “powerful tools” in combatting serious organised crime.

“As a result of these orders, after they are released from prison, the ability of these individuals to return to serious organised crime will be significantly restricted. Breach of a SCPO carries a potential five-year prison sentence,” she said.

She added: “As well as prosecuting criminals, COPFS is using all the tools available to us to protect Scottish communities from the harm done by serious organised crime gangs.

“SCPOs are one of the ways we can do that, ensuring restrictions are placed on offenders’ activities and that they are subject to monitoring upon their release from prison.

“Prosecutors will continue to apply for SCPOs whenever appropriate as part of our commitment to use every means available to keep Scotland’s communities safe.”