Gang member jailed after encrypted phones cracked

Last year police staged a series of raids across Scotland, linked to Operation Venetic

A crime gang member who was caught after police cracked encrypted phones has been jailed for more than five years.

Police said Hugh McHugh was a member of one of the country's "top-tier"groups.

A court previously heard his accomplice David Hough was arrested after a raid on a street valium factory in Johnstone, Renfrewshire.

Guns and grenades were then seized during a separate raid at a "safe house" in Milton, Glasgow.

The probe was linked to Operation Venetic, a Europe-wide investigation which penetrated the top secret EncroChat phone network.

Hough, 39, from East Kilbride, and McHugh, 43, from Milton, admitted a charge of being involved in serious organised crime between April and June 2020.

'Hands-on role'

Hough, who was jailed for four years for cocaine dealing in 2005, was extradited from Spain last year to face justice.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that he was involved in the "business and marketing side" of the drugs lab with McHugh having a "hands-on role".

As part of the probe, carried out by the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and codenamed Operation Gadget, two other men, James Dalziel and Eric Morrison junior, also admitted drug offences.

Between them Hough, Dalziel and Morrison junior were previously sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.

On Friday, McHugh became the fourth member of the gang to be jailed when he was sentenced at the High Court in Paisley.

A Serious Crime Prevention Order was also granted against him.

Det Supt David Scott, of Greater Glasgow Division CID, said: "McHugh was a member of one of Scotland's top-tier organised crime groups.

"I welcome his conviction and sentencing as disrupting the activities of these criminals remains a priority for our officers and underlines our commitment to the country's Serious Organised Crime Taskforce."

The gang's operation in Scotland involved the storage and adulteration of class A drugs and the production of etizolam tablets for onward supply.

Prosecutors said they used commercial and industrial premises, vehicles and some residential addresses to store drugs, adulterants, firearms and money.

Drugs lab

The lab in Rannoch Road, Johnstone, was discovered on 10 June last year and a total of 228,000 tablets were recovered with a potential value of £114,027.

The equipment found there had the capability of producing 118,000 tablets per hour.

Meanwhile, the court heard that two hand grenades, five homemade "slam" guns, a revolver and more than 50 bullets were discovered at the house in Milton.

A total of £27,650 of cocaine - some with a purity of 78% - was also found there. Detectives went on to find encrypted phones at the homes of Hough and McHugh.

Hough told officers: "I'm not giving any password or pin code. No comment." But the devices were forensically examined revealing a series of damning messages.

The High Court in Glasgow heard Hough sent McHugh one text which read: "Have you anywhere to put a tool box with a few shotguns in it?"

Police also recovered many photos of "significant quantities" of drugs sent from McHugh.

Cocaine was also referred to using designer names such as Gucci, and Hough also sent a photo of firearms to McHugh.