UK's most wanted who plotted to smuggle £76m of cocaine in bananas jailed for 20 years

James Stevenson has been jailed for a crippled to import cocaine into the UK from Ecuador (Police Scotland/PA) (Image: PA)

James Stevenson, 59, known arsenic The Iceman and 1 of the UK's astir wanted men, has been sentenced to 20 years successful situation for his relation successful a crippled to smuggle £76 cardinal worthy of cocaine into Britain from Ecuador hidden successful banana shipments.

Stevenson pleaded blameworthy mid-trial astatine the High Court successful Glasgow to 2 charges directing a superior transgression offence of importation of cocaine, and engagement successful organised transgression done the accumulation and proviso of etizolam, besides known arsenic thoroughfare valium.

The sentencing took spot connected Wednesday erstwhile the lawsuit was heard successful court.

Four different men who confessed their guilt during the proceedings are besides awaiting sentencing.

Previously, the tribunal was informed that Border Force officers astatine the Port of Dover intercepted 18 banana shipments addressed to Glasgow Fruit Market betwixt May and September 2020.

Ryan McPhee admitted his relation successful the accumulation and proviso of etizolam (Police Scotland/PA) (Image: PA)

These shipments contained cocaine with a purity of 73%, weighing astir a tonne and carrying a thoroughfare worth of £76 million.

David Bilsland, 67, a effect marketplace trader, pleaded blameworthy to agreeing to import cocaine, portion co-defendant Paul Bowes, 53, admitted to being progressive successful organised transgression related to the accumulation and proviso of people C cause etizolam astatine assorted locations including the Nurai Island Resort successful Abu Dhabi, London, and Rochester, Kent.

Gerard Carbin, 44, Stevenson's stepson, and Ryan McPhee, 34, different co-accused, confessed to being progressive successful organised transgression done the accumulation and proviso of etizolam.

The crippled was foiled by French instrumentality enforcement officers who penetrated the encrypted EncroChat web successful April 2020.

The drugs were recovered successful bananas which arrived astatine the Port of Dover betwixt May and September 2020 (COPFS/PA) (Image: PA)

Lloyd Cross, 32, proprietor of a conveyance betterment firm, admitted his engagement successful the crippled anterior to the proceedings and is besides acceptable to beryllium sentenced connected Wednesday.

The tribunal had earlier heard that Stevenson and Bilsland, a trader astatine Glasgow Fruit Market, convened astatine a edifice successful Alicante, Spain, to sermon the program connected February 14, 2020.

Messages indicated that Cross and Stevenson met successful a parkland to sermon plans successful April 2020, portion Bilsland organised banana shipments and conspired with Cross to usage their businesses to concern the cause importation, with betterment vehicles utilized for currency transportation and collection, according to the court.

The tribunal was besides informed that arrangements were being made for the transportation of implicit 13 cardinal thoroughfare valium pills and during a raid successful Rochester successful June 2020, instrumentality susceptible of producing 258,000 pills per hr was found.

Stevenson was apprehended, released and aboriginal absconded to the Netherlands, but helium was seized determination successful 2022 and extradited.

Both Stevenson and Carbin were imprisoned successful 2007 for organised crime, and the National Crime Agency listed the older antheral arsenic 1 of the UK's astir wanted men successful 2022.