A Fife roofer has been jailed for nine years for directing the supply of class A drugs and acquiring nearly £100,000 in criminal proceeds.
Scott Allan directed two others to supply cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and cannabis on his behalf over a period spanning more than two years.
The 45-year-old, then a self-employed roofer, also acquired and possessed more than £98,000 in proceeds of crime – an offence aggravated by links with serious organised crime.
He appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh by video link to prison after earlier pleading guilty to directing two others to commit a serious offence by instructing them to supply the drugs on his behalf and acquiring and possessing criminal property.
Judge Lord Lake told Allan, of Westwood Avenue, Kirkcaldy, there was “clearly a link between the two charges” and jailed him for nine years.
Organised crime group
The court heard previously that in September 2020, about 3.6kg of amphetamine was seized from the home of a neighbour, Julie Chalmers, with an estimated top value of £36,000 if subdivided.
During an interview, she admitted storing and supplying it for another person whom she would not name but is now accepted to be Allan.
Chalmers later pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of the drug and was jailed for two years at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
The court heard Allan used a “burner” phone to direct both Chalmers and a man to deal drugs on his behalf.
A detective formed the view all three were members of an organised crime group involved in the supply of the drugs at a “substantial level,” with Allan at the top of the pyramid.
Prosecutors accept there may have been someone above Allan in the hierarchy, though none of the evidence recovered in the case directly supports that contention.
Nailed by phone messages
The court heard messages between Allan and others used the term “sads,” a slang term for every 2kg deal of amphetamine.
The frequency of messages between Allan and Chalmers discussing large quantities of this drug mean, in real terms, it would be well into the hundreds of thousands of pounds worth she was storing or selling for him in the 15-month period the messages cover.
Amphetamine was “by far” the most regularly mentioned drug in the messages between Allan and Chalmers but he also directed her to store and supply cannabis, cocaine and heroin.
Messages demonstrate she was selling or storing tens of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine on behalf of Allan and working under his direction.
There were only a handful of messages between them which specifically pertain to heroin but the value of drugs specifically mentioned within those is still several thousand pounds.
Messages recovered between Allan and the man only relate to a period between September 22 2021 and October 5 2021.
The messages linked to amphetamine specifically direct the man to supply quantities ranging between two-and-a-quarter ounces and 60kg of the drug.
The court heard that in one message, Allan told the man to tell another person he can purchase a “sad” for £1,000 and should “try and get them out quick because he is in possession of 30 ‘sads’.”
The quantity of amphetamine referred to in this message exchange alone was 60kg of amphetamine, which Allan was hoping to sell for £30,000.
Even in this brief window, the total value of amphetamine Allan directed the man to store, courier or sell was into tens of thousands of pounds.
Most of the messages between Allan and the man relate to amphetamine but there were a “handful” pertaining to cocaine and cannabis.
Admissions
The court heard the value of cash in Allan’s bank account in the period for which records were obtained was £98,341.52 more than his declared income to HMRC.
This represented, in part, the proceeds of drug-dealing.
The court heard the true value of the profits of his involvement in serious and organised crime in that period cannot be quantified but prosecutors say it is “substantially higher” than that figure.
Allan previously admitted directing two others to commit a serious offence by instructing them to supply quantities of cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and cannabis on his behalf, between June 20 2019 and October 5 2021.
He also pled guilty to acquiring and possessing criminal property, namely £98,341.52, between January 1 2019 and November 30 2020, a contravention of the Proceeds of Crime Act aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime.
Mitigation
Solicitor advocate Graeme Brown, defending, said the case had proceeded to trial but Allan ultimately pleaded guilty to two charges after four days of evidence.
Mr Brown said although the duration of the offending is an aggravating factor, there was a lack of other aggravating features often found in such cases, for instance involvement of weapons, violence or threats of violence either to customers or those being directed.
The lawyer said Allan, who has a record at summary level, has never served a custodial sentence before and was offence-free for 14 years, living with his wife and “for a long time focused on being a family man”.
Mr Brown said Allan became involved in the offending through financial hardship and has, in the past, tried to alleviate financial difficulties through gambling.
Allan’s sentence was backdated to November 4, when he was remanded.
In July 2022, Chalmers was ordered to pay £1,590 as part of a Proceeds of Crime action.
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