An organised crime gang member who fled police at high speed in his Range Rover after a cocaine sting at the Glasgow Fort has been jailed.
Martin Murphy, 45, was clocked by cops in the cocaine handover at the shopping centre in the city’s East End in April 2020. Police surveillance officers filmed Murphy receiving a package from another man in a supermarket car park before moving in to arrest him.
Murphy, however, made a quick getaway and raced out of the car park, driving at high speed on the wrong side of the road. As he fled, Murphy tossed the package – believed to contain cocaine worth £90,000 – from his car window during the police chase on the M8 motorway.
He was eventually exposed by police for his involvement in drug deals worth hundreds of thousands of pounds following the cracking of Encrochat. The platform, which is favoured by serious and organised criminals, was intercepted by French law enforcement in April 2020.
Police uncovered dozens of messages and images from Murphy’s phones that exposed the extent of his drug-trafficking operations following a search of his house. Murphy, of Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, was jailed for four years and four months at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday.
The court heard how the crime boss used three Encrochat handles – Analogpelican, Rocketforce and Reputableplug – to actively discuss the transportation, delivery, mixing and distribution of drugs with his associates. Between March 26 and October 2021, 40 images related to drug trafficking were recovered as well as a total of 1194 lines of conversation between the Murphy and other individuals using EncroChat handles.
During the search of his home in October 2021, a total of £153,650 and 7,680 euros were recovered wrapped in plastic bands as well as a small amount of cocaine. One phone, which was later sent for analysis, was found to have a ‘Notes’ section which included entries saying “200k paid” and “150k paid”.
Police officers assessed these as being references to monies owed and paid by Murphy. Other entries included names with numbers beside them and were considered extensive “tick lists” of drug monies owed to Murphy.
A photos section of his phone also contained numerous images of large bundles of cash and blocks of cocaine.
Speaking after sentencing, Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This was a highly successful prosecution which has removed a large quantity of drugs from our streets and caused significant disruption to the local supply chain. Martin Murphy will now spend time in prison paying for his crimes thanks to an extensive police operation, working with COPFS, to investigate and disrupt a network of drug supply.
“Drug trafficking wrecks lives and blights communities where drugs take hold. The Crown will continue working with the police and other agencies as a member of Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to ensure that these crimes are detected and those responsible prosecuted using all measures at our disposal.”
Murphy will now be subject to confiscation action under Proceeds of Crime legislation to recover monies illegally obtained.
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