A pair of Dundee crime gang members moaned about how Covid-19 had hit high-level cocaine dealing.
Craig Garland, 37, and Brandon Guthrie, 31, admitted their involvement in a leading Dundee-based group who planned to flood Scotland with cocaine.
The pair were snared as part of the police probe “Operation Ranger”.
They were said to be working under the orders of gang boss Ronald Ferrie, who died in 2021.
The High Court in Glasgow heard police had information Ferrie was involved in large-scale drug trafficking throughout Scotland.
The gang was caught after the authorities busted the EncroChat phone network favoured by criminals.
Messages revealed Guthrie was responsible for ferrying “significant quantities” of drugs and collecting payment.
Garland helped store, prepare and bulk out the narcotics to maximise profits.
Chat intercepted
On the network, gang boss Ferrie was known as “northjoshua” on EncroChat, Garland “surlybuster” and Guthrie “summernorth”.
The conversation included chats about high purity cocaine valued at £41,000 per kilogram.
Guthrie moaned to Garland at one stage how in April 2020 – at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown – coronavirus had “resulted in a £400,000 reduction in revenue” to their criminal associates.
It was described as a “f***ing disaster”.
It also emerged Ferrie was owed £250,000 at one stage.
The court heard Garland and Guthrie were part of more than 2000 “lines of conversation” discussing their criminal activities via the network.
Drugs raid
Police swooped at Guthrie’s home on October 30 2020.
A Peugeot van was parked outside.
The vehicle was later found to be registered to Ferrie.
Metal plates for a hydraulic press – often used to help prepare and package drugs – were found in the van.
Garland’s home was also searched and around £2,000 of a well-known substance to bulk out illegal substances was seized.
A mobile phone was found with texts linking him to drug-dealing.
A prosecutor told the court: “There are also messages that show another, more senior, member of the group had fitted trackers to vehicles so that Guthrie and associates’ movements could be followed as a form of work monitoring.”
Police also seized £23,000 of cocaine as well as a 20-tonne hydraulic press.
The pair, both of Dundee, admitted charges of being involved in serious organised crime, as well as the supply of cocaine.
Garland’s activity spanned March to October 2020, with Guthrie’s role only lasting from March to June of the same year.
They had both been on bail but were remanded by judge Lord Arthurson to be sentenced next month.
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