Drug gang leaders including ‘Scotland’s Tony Soprano’ admit smuggling £100m worth of cocaine through the port of Dover in a banana shipment from Ecuador

A drugs baron, also known as “Scot’s Tony Soprano”, has admitted attempting to smuggle £100million worth of cocaine after it was seized at the UK border in Kent.

Six men have pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle class A drugs through the port of Dover in a shipment of bananas from South America.

In September 2020, 119 parcels were seized arriving in Kent by ship from Ecuador.

It was the result of a lengthy investigation between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Scottish Police, dubbed Operation Pepperoni.

James Stevenson, from Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, was identified as a key figure in the importation of the drug when he was arrested while jogging in the Netherlands two years ago.

The 59-year-old, who was previously listed by the NCA as one of the UK’s 12 most wanted men, was extradited to the UK after his arrest in the Netherlands and this month appeared in the High Court in Glasgow alongside his accomplices.

Stevenson, better known as ‘Iceman’, has previously been compared to Scottish mob boss Tony Soprano from the TV series The Sopranos, after he was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2007 for money laundering.

This week, halfway through the trial, he pleaded guilty after being indicted on 14 charges.

He has now pleaded guilty to two charges: directing a serious criminal offence, namely the importation of cocaine, and involvement in organised crime through the production and supply of etizolam, often known as street Valium.

Co-defendant Paul Bowes, 53, pleaded guilty to organised crime for the production and supply of etizolam at a range of locations including the Nurai Island Resort in Abu Dhabi, London and Rochester.

Fruit trader David Bilsland, 67, has pleaded guilty to a charge of agreeing to import cocaine after the court heard evidence he told a refrigeration engineer he had “done a stupid thing” and was “going to jail for a long time”.

On Wednesday, Gerard Carbin, 44, and Ryan McPhee, 34, admitted involvement in organised crime through the production and supply of etizolam.

Co-defendant Lloyd Cross, 32, pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial, on August 7.

Images of the fruit stash were shown to the jury and a small bag of cocaine was seized.

Meanwhile, prosecutors accepted a plea of ​​not guilty from Garry McIntyre, 43, and he was allowed to leave the courtroom.

NCA witnesses testified about the infiltration of the highly encrypted Encrochat network, which was intercepted by French law enforcement in April 2020.

Prosecutor Michael Mackintosh told the court in a joint statement of agreed evidence that on September 21, 2020, UK Border Force officers intercepted crates of bananas from Ecuador.

They were addressed to a company called Glasgow Fruit Market, but contained a total of 952 blocks of cocaine, each weighing 1kg – a total of just under a tonne.

Between May and September 21, 2020, approximately 18 shipments were sent to the company, followed by two more that arrived after law enforcement officers made the discovery.

According to the court, forensic examiners determined the Class A drug had a purity level of 73% and was contained in 119 aluminium foil packets, each containing eight blocks of compressed white powder.

Dave Ferry, head of organised crime at Police Scotland, said the gang considered itself “untouchable”.

He explained: “The conviction of this dangerous, organised criminal group is evidence of a complex investigation that spanned the globe.

“The multi-agency operation prevented a massive amount of drugs from reaching our communities and destroying lives.

“It also underscores the value of working together with our law enforcement colleagues in this country and abroad.”

Gerry Mclean, the NCA’s regional head of investigations, added: “The drug trade causes harm and destruction, fuelling violence and the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.

“Following his arrest in 2020, career criminal Stevenson fled the country but continued to direct the importation of cocaine from abroad into the UK, under the false belief that he could thus evade justice.

“His plea today and the guilty pleas of five of his accomplices are testament to the dedicated work of the NCA, the Scottish Police and law enforcement colleagues around the world.

“We work tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups supplying Class A drugs, and ensure that all those involved, wherever they may be hiding, are brought to justice.”

The case was adjourned until Monday at the same court.