Scotland’s prisons are home to dozens of key gangland figures

Almost one in 10 Scottish prisoners have links to serious and organised crime, new figures have revealed, with jails north of the border home to 23 gangland bosses.

Some 589 inmates, or 8% of Scotland’s prison population, have links to organised crime and of these 176 have been linked to 54 different active gangs, many of which operate across the UK and globally.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said of these there were 23 “principals”, those who were either in charge or at the highest levels of gangs, and 25 “members” who are key individuals in the groups.

Christopher Hughes, who was locked up for a minimum of 25 years after being found guilty of the murder of Dutch crime writer Martin Kok, is one person serving time with links to an organised crime gang.

Prosecutors said for almost seven years between July 2013 and January 2020, Hughes was involved in the importation and supply of cocaine, firearms and ammunition, money laundering, and the setting up of a company to supply encrypted communication devices to gangs throughout the world.

Martyn Fitzsimmons is another with links to the criminal underworld who has been jailed.

The former soldier was brought to justice in 2018, when he was given a sentence of more than 10 years for his part in a gang involved in drugs and firearms trafficking.

Every prison in Scotland is home to inmates with links to serious and organised crime, and the SPS said the rise in gang members is one of the most significant changes to the population within the last decade.

Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown said disrupting the threat from organised crime is a priority.

“Analysis from SPS helps to shine a light on the extent of serious organised crime members in custody, and provides an insight to the scale and complexity of work they undertake to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people in custody,” he said.

“Public protection is paramount and there is a huge amount of work across the justice system to bring people to justice and to keep people safe in custody and the community.”

Fiona Cruickshanks, head of the SPS’s public protection unit, said the service works closely with its partners “to tackle serious and organised crime, which we know devastates communities and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable”.