A drug trafficker-turned counter-surveillance expert who helped gangsters battle against law enforcement agencies has been jailed for two years.
Ian Sweeney raked in a fortune offering advice and equipment which allowed underworld figures to sweep cars and properties for bugs planted by crimebusters.
He also shared details of how criminal gangs could adapt vehicles to incorporate hidden compartments, known as “hides” and used to secretly transport drugs.
But the 53-year-old’s crimes were uncovered when police discovered the accused was using the handle “Bug-sweep” on the encrypted EncroChat messaging platform and was in contact with over 100 associates.
Sweeney was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after he admitted being involved in serious organised crime and being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs, including cocaine and cannabis between March and May 2020.
Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), released a statement following his sentencing hearing.
She said: “I hope that this conviction and the sentence send a strong message to others involved in this kind of criminal behaviour and demonstrates the ability of police and prosecutors to investigate, prepare and prosecute serious and organised crime of this nature.
“We will continue to work with our partners at the Scottish Crime Campus and as part of the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to tackle serious organised crime. This kind of case highlights the extensive work that has been ongoing against these groups.”
The court heard how police linked Sweeney’s EncroChat handle to multiple conversations with members of organised crime groups, who were also using encrypted names.
In some discussions, he claimed that, although he was based in Scotland, he travelled all over the UK providing recommendations on anti-surveillance.
The court was told that he charged £300 to sweep a car for listening devices, a house required a fee of £1200 and the bill for checking a business property was £1500.
Sweeney, of the village of Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, was formerly a director of a private investigation firm which was dissolved in 2018.
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