A GANGSTER has been jailed for his part in a global drugs racket, despite claiming he was “duped” by a mob king pin.
Stephen Gough was caged for five years after a jury found him guilty of being the ‘money man’ in a multi-million pound importation scheme which saw the mob flooding Scotland with drugs from South America.
Stephen Gough was sentenced to five years in jail at Paisley High Court[/caption]
The High Court in Paisley heard how Gough, 47, had conspired with mob boss Tony ‘Mr Nice’ Bennett, 36, to make millions from the illegal drug deals.
But his lawyer, Thomas Ross KC, told the court that Gough was “a hard-working man” who had been “duped by his co-accused, Mr Bennett” and claimed he didn’t fully understand what he was getting involved with.
He said: “For most of his life he’s been a working man. And was working right up until the start of his trial.
“To some extent, from the outset, he was duped. He was taken advantage of by Mr Bennett.”
However the jury rejected his claims of innocence and convicted Gough, of Uddingston, of being concerned in serious organised crime between March and June 2020.
The High Court heard Gough played a pivotal role in the cartel, collecting and counting the cash for drug dealers.
His partner in crime, Bennett, 35, was banged up for three years and nine months back in September 2023 for heading up the major crime operation which saw him scheming to bring millions of pounds worth of heroin and cocaine into Scotland, during the same period.
The court heard the Bennett used secret laboratories to refine the drugs shipped in from Ecuador before supplying and selling them to dealers throughout Scotland.
Prosecutors sifted through hundreds of Encrochat conversations which proved that Gough and Bennett were using pseudonyms to talk to each other about international drug dealing.
During his trial Gough denied he was the user of the Encrochat handle.
However, images were posted on handles showing the interior of his home and even of himself.
Another revealed they had approximately £217,000 in a bank account.
Gough also posted an image showing large amounts of bundled bank notes lying on his kitchen floor.
He was arrested in August 2021 following a police raid on his home.
Sentencing him to five years, Judge Thomas Hughes said: “It appears to be the case that you seem to have been very foolish in getting yourself involved in these matters.
“You come from a good background and a good home. You have a good work ethic, it’s entirely unfortunate that you got yourself involved in this matter at all.”
Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “Stephen Gough was an integral part of an international cartel along with others to import large quantities of Class A drugs into Scotland.
“These drugs would have caused immense harm. But with these convictions, we have removed these drugs from the streets and made communities safer.
“This successful prosecution reinforces our determination to continue to disrupt serious organised crime.
“We will continue to collaborate with our partners as a member of Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to tackle serious organised crime and this kind of case highlights the extensive work that has been ongoing against these groups.”
Gough was also made subject of a Serious Crime Prevention Order lasting three years designed to prevent his return to crime on his release from custody.
