Members of a drugs gang who were caught with a large haul of cocaine smuggled in a lorry which appeared to be transporting Belgian waffles were today hit with maximum term crime prevention orders.
James Davidson, David Mullarkey, Ellis Hardy and Wayne Smith were jailed for a total of 22 years last month after police seized the high purity Class A drug worth up to pounds 10 million on the streets.
Officers carried out a raid at the premises of a kitchen firm at the Hillingdon industrial estate, in Renfrewshire, in June 2019, and seized 30 kilos of cocaine.
The drugs, which were up to 84 per cent pure, were trafficked in an HGV lorry, supposedly delivering a load of waffles, in a concealed compartment and transferred to an adapted Transit van at Mullarkey's business premises.
Police were monitoring Hardy, who was in the company of Smith, in the van the day before the raid was carried out on June 22 after they drove to the industrial estate.
Davdison had driven the HGV to the rendezvous at the premises of DM Kitchens before officers moved in to seize the illicit cargo which had the potential to make £9.96 million if adulterated and broken down into street deals.
Davidson, 58, of Yoker, and Mullarkey, 47, of, Stepps, were each jailed for six years and three months for their roles in the operation.
Hardy, 42, was jailed for five years and Smith, 39, for four and a half years. They were both from Mitcham, in Surrey.
They had admitted being involved in serious organised crime and facilitating the transportation and distribution of the cocaine.
Lord Boyd of Duncansby, who jailed them at the High Court in Edinburgh, told them: "Serious organised It damages the fabric of our society and challenges the rule of law."
The judge said the trafficking of Class A drugs was "a particular scourge to our society" which produced misery for individuals and communities.
Following the jailing of the four the Crown asked the court to impose serious crime prevention orders on them.
After a brief hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh today Lord Boyd agreed to make the orders which requires the offenders to notify police of their address following their release and puts restrictions on them over access to phones and other smart devices.
All four were made subject to the orders for the maximum period of five years.
