Scottish businessmen jailed for £12m cocaine trafficking operation

Two businessmen who flaunted their luxury lifestyles from a multi-million-pound drugs trafficking operation and sponsored a Scottish Premiership club have been jailed.

David Stephen and Shaun Brown appeared to be respectable with the logo of their DX Home Improvements firm featuring on the sleeves of Motherwell FC strips.

However, the pair, both 30 and from Hamilton, were involved in the purchase and sale of 125kg of cocaine.

The duo were busted when police raided days before Christmas last year.

Stephen had been in his £200,000 Lamborghini with Brown after arriving in Scotland from Dubai.

The men admitted to directing others to commit a serious offence.

Judge Lord Cubie sentencing each man six years and eight months. He told them: “You both showed the trappings of wealth.

“The purchase, distrubution and sale of cocaine gives rise to misery, poverty and death.

“This was coercive and your motivations were selfish.

“Mr Stephen, you were successful beyond drug money and it is a pity you didn’t focus on this success in 2020.

“Mr Brown you said that you were put off alcohol due to its impact yet it didn’t stop you from peddling another form of addictive substance.

Shaun Brown and David Stephen sponsored a family race night at Hamilton Park Instagram

“The public’s interest is high in suppressing the criminal activity you were involved in.”

The cocaine dealing initially spanned between March and June 2020.

The pair communicated with associates on the EncroChat phone network used by criminals before it was busted by the law authorities.

Stephen was known as “narrowninja”, Brown used the handles “simplebull” and “castlenut”.

They exchanged almost 12,000 messages with others including 26 individuals for the “purchase, collection, delivery, adulteration, storage and sale” of huge hauls of the class A drug.

Both also directed the pick-up of dirty money from their illegal trade.

Prosecutor Alexandria Kirk said the pair were involved in the trafficking of up to five kilogrammes of cocaine during this time.

They organised for it to be cut with another substance to maximise profits bringing a potential value of £600,000.

Ms Kirk said: “Both kept and shared detailed accounts monitoring the incomings and outgoings of the criminal enterprise carried out at their direction.

“Stephen purchased a banknote counter and counterfeit cash detector from Amazon on March 26, 2020.

“A picture of the machine was shared by Stephen to an unidentified individual.

“This was followed by an image of 24 piles of cash.”

Stephen also sent photos of blocks of cocaine to an associate.

The pair were not caught at that time and remained managing directors of their seemingly successful home improvements business based in Lanarkshire.

As well as the partnership with Motherwell FC, the company also sponsored a family race night at Hamilton Park – each unaware of the pair’s crime links.

One of the duo featured on a podcast to speak about how well their company was doing.

But, they remained involved in high-level drug dealing.

The pair were snared by police shortly after Stephen had travelled from the upmarket Til Al Ghaf resort in Dubai to Scotland on a first class Emirates flight on December 23, 2025.

He was in his Lamborghini Urus having stopped at a petrol station in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire.

Brown was his passenger and both were held at the time.

Officers initially seized six mobiles.

A total of £1,077-worth of UAE dirhams were in a blue Louis Vuitton bag as well £750 elsewhere in the vehicle.

One black iPhone belonging to Stephen was found to have a string of encrypted messaging apps stored with evidence of both men being in a “group chat” with associates.

Ms Kirk said: “A total of 125kg of cocaine – at the direction of both – was purchased and sold between August 18 and December 23, 2025.

“The street value of 125kg of cocaine is estimated to be £11.25m if sold in one-gram deals at £90 per gram.”

The advocate depute explained further incriminating detail in texts found.

Ms Kirk said: “Messages contain multiple images of kilogram blocks of cocaine with different stamps and videos showing them being unwrapped.

“Several clips show Stephen handling the blocks.”

One individual – known as ‘Oscar’ – was to make more than 30 one-kilo “deliveries” of the drug in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayr. He was then paid “wages” for carrying out the jobs.

Stephen sent Brown a spreadsheet – often listing six-figure sums – demonstrating what Ms Kirk stated was a “sophisticated operation”.

The court heard Brown moaned at one stage to an associate that he was “collecting absolute peanuts” for the cocaine this person had been given to sell.

Boasting how much cash they could rake in, Stephen stated to Brown: “It would mean we will have 1,772,050 cash, 1,307,205 due out.

“Leaves 464k for us.”

Ms Kirk said later messages revealed the duo were “struggling to pay their suppliers”.

But, she also told the court: “Both lived a lavish lifestyle which can be seen in TikTok and Instagram posts from both.

“They can be seen to enjoy luxury goods, expensive cars and first class flights.”

One photo showed Stephen with an expensive Rolex watch on his wrist with Brown tagged in and the message: “My brother. Thank you” along with a “love heart” emoji.

Another had a beaming Stephen sitting in a new car with the comment: “Matching Lambos with my brother. Dreams come true. Grateful for this life”.

Thomas Ross KC, defending Stephen, and Brian McConnachie KC, defending Brown, told the sentencing hearing that their clients’ offending was absent of matters such as violence and firearms as is seen in similar types of cases.

Mr Ross added: “Mr Stephen mentions at the beginning of his offending there was a background of debt.

“I do not advance this as mitigation but it was a factor in 2020 while it was not a in 20205.

“He accepts full responsibility for his offending and accepts that he is deserving of imprisonment.”

Mr McConnachie stated: “The business that was set up in July 2020 started off by being funded by the drug money that was obtained in the period leading up to that.

“Thereafter, the business developed separately until such time it became difficult financially and he went back to the position he had been in in 2020.”

Extra police were drafted into court for the two appearing amid reports of a suspected security risk involving one of them.