Police ScotlandFive crime gang members whose multi-million-pound dirty cash ring was smashed by police have been jailed for a total of 16-and-a-half years.
The gang were caught by detectives probing a major drug-trafficking gang with international links.
A judge heard how Anthony Carroll snr was put in charge of the cartel’s vast money stash, with almost £20m being raked in over just five months in 2020.
The 57-year-old dad and his associates were caught after the EncroChat phone network was smashed, which has already seen scores of criminals being jailed.
Carroll snr, his son Anthony Carroll jnr, 37, Ryan Carberry, 46, Marc Cooper, 34, and Michael Monaghan, 37, all pleaded guilty to an organised crime charge at the High Court in Glasgow.
Carroll snr was jailed for four-and-a-half years, and Carroll jnr received three years.
Carberry got three years and three months, Cooper was sentenced to two years and nine months, and Monaghan was locked up for three years.
Large-scale distribution and supply of drugs
The court heard that the men had been kept under watch during the Operation Delfin police probe into the organised crime gang. (OCG).
Prosecutor Leanne Cross said: “The group are predominantly involved in the large-scale distribution and supply of drugs as well as the collection, counting and storage of money.
“Police assess their activity to have a very significant impact on local communities in Scotland.”
Crew members communicated with each other via EncroChat before it was broken by the law authorities in 2020.
Carroll snr, of Glasgow’s Milton, had the handle Gorilla Caustic
The son of the city’s Maryhill was called Livid Buffalo.
Carberry, of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, went by the names Shiptender and Luxury Squirrel.
Cooper, also of Maryhill, had the handle Lunatic Turtle, while Monaghan, of Drumchapel, Glasgow, was known as Clifftender.
The court heard Carroll senior was in charge of counting, storing and distributing the large hauls of dirty cash amassed from the illegal activities.
Ms Cross said: “He also directed the other four to carry out this work on his behalf.
“He, in turn, answered to those at the top of the organised crime group, who were, by and large, based overseas.”
Carroll snr maintained a record of the money controlled by him.
He sent “lists” to high-ranking members of the OCG via EncroChat.
Most of the cash is related to payments for cocaine, heroin and cannabis. None of the five were involved in the supply or storage of drugs.
Ms Cross stated Carroll snr documented £4m as income for the gang in January 2020, £3m the following month, another £2.6m in March, around £4m in April and £4.8m in the first half of May of that year.
These were noted as payments for cocaine.
The other list revealed around £1m being brought in from cannabis trafficking in the early part of 2020.
Ms Cross said: “It is clear Carroll senior was trusted by the OCG to control vast sums of their cash over a significant period of time.”
£780,000 found under floorboards
Carroll jnr was often in touch with his father about “stashes” to hide the illegal funds. It was also apparent he had ferried money to other gang members.
Police went on to discover £780,000 under floorboards in the son’s home in May 2020.
This was shortly after Carroll snr ordered him to remove the money from his own home after police earlier swooped on two other gang members.
This led to the property of the dad also being searched days later.
Officers seized mobile phones, £5,000, and just over €1,000 from inside a cooker hood.
Carberry was described as a “cash collector”.
He helped organise a total of 75 pick-ups totalling over £6m.
Carberry was directed by Carroll snr, but also got orders from top-tier gang bosses.
Carberry’s partner’s home was raided in June 2020. A total of £195,000 was discovered inside rucksacks.
Cooper’s role was to look after one of the gang’s “cash counting houses”.
This involved reporting back to Carroll snr.
One of his last messages stated he had counted £1.8m in just a matter of weeks in May and June 2020.
Monaghan had a similar role to Cooper. Police seized two cash counting machines in a bedroom cupboard at his home in June 2020.
Ms Cross said: “Overall, the messages show that this operation was well-organised from the top, with everyone having clear roles and responsibilities.
“Cash collectors passed to the counters before everything was “funnelled” to Carroll snr.
“He then passed on to the safehouse holders for onward transportation.”
The five were paid between £500 and £1,200 per week “wages” for their involvement.
Simon Gilbride, defending former fridge company worker Carrol snr, told the sentencing: “His role was keeping a record of cash – there were significant sums involved.
“His reward was small but significant, and he acknowledges that he was involved in a role that facilitated the operation. It is something he profoundly regrets and wishes he had never got involved in at all.”
Calum Weir, defending Carroll jnr, told the court that his client’s relationship with his father has ended.
The lawyer added: “He is not stepping back from culpability – he realises what he became involved in and is paying the price for that.”
Ross Yuill, defending Carberry, said: “He accepts the consequences. His financial reward was low here. He accepts his role in the overall process.”
It was revealed that Carberry has one High Court previous conviction for being concerned in the supply of drugs, for which he received a 30-month sentence in 2002.
Tony Lenehan KC, defending Cooper, stated that his client took on the role due to the financial circumstances of himself and his partner at the time.
Mr Lenehan added: “He knows it must be the jail and regrets this immensely. He must still serve punishment.”
Kevin Jarvis, defending Monaghan said: “He is alive to the fact that custody is inevitable due to the nature of the offence.”
‘Significant organised crime operation’
Judge Lord Scott told them at the sentencing: “You each took part knowingly for months in a significant organised crime operation.
“Based on the snapshots and the scale of the money involved, it shows that it was a multi-million-pound operation.
“Carroll snr your role was significant. You came to be trusted with important parts of the working of the organised crime group.
“The other four, your roles might be lesser roles, but serious organised crime groups would not operate as they do without people like you prepared to carry out lesser but crucial roles.
“Your counsel has rightly acknowledged the gravity of the charges and inevitability of a custodial sentence.
“Plainly significant was the scale of the criminal enterprise, which was due to the massive scale involved.
“It is necessary to punish you and deter you and others from behaving in this way.”
All five men were given serious crime prevention orders. Carroll snr’s will last for five years, while the others will last for four years.
Two other men linked to the dirty cash gang have previously been jailed.
Alistair MacKenzie, 60, and Daniel Kerrigan, 56, were held after a raid at a warehouse in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, in May 2020.
Prosecutors stated that around £3m had passed through the counting house.
MacKenzie was sentenced to five years and two months, and Kerrigan four years in January 2026.
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