A 65-year-old convicted drug smuggler with connections to a major organised crime figure has been sentenced to six years in prison for his involvement in the seizure of £8 million worth of cocaine. Charles McAughey was handed the custodial sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh after admitting to participation in serious organised crime. The drugs were discovered in December 2025 when police located 100 blocks of the Class A substance concealed behind a hidden compartment in a lorry at an industrial estate in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire.
McAughey, who maintains links to Jamie "Iceman" Stevenson, appeared in court alongside 29-year-old Scott Bannatyne, who received a three-year sentence after also pleading guilty to drugs trafficking offences. The judge, Lord Arthurson, determined that both men warranted immediate imprisonment. McAughey's criminal history includes eight groups of previous convictions, and he had previously served time in France for a related offence.
What was found in the lorry?
Officers conducting surveillance on 11 December 2025 observed McAughey driving a lorry in convoy with another vehicle towards Righead Industrial Estate. Both drivers reversed into the yard and entered a building with a third person before police moved in. A sniffer dog detected a strong chemical smell emanating from the HGV's rear section.
An initial inspection appeared to reveal an empty vehicle, but officers discovered a false wall covered by a metal grid at the front of the trailer. Upon removing a thin panel, they uncovered a concealed space containing 100 blocks of cocaine, some with purity levels reaching 81 percent. The prosecutor valued the total haul at £8,006,416.
What is McAughey's criminal background?
McAughey's involvement in drug trafficking extends back more than a decade. In 2009, he was linked to a drug raid in Montpellier, France, where cocaine was discovered hidden among a delivery of coffee beans and cash registers. His home in Bothwell was among several properties searched in connection with that investigation, though he was not convicted at that time. According to reporting on the case, McAughey's family indicated he was appealing a 2017 French conviction related to a separate lorry stopped in Montpellier containing 684kg of cocaine valued at approximately £31 million.
In 2017, McAughey was convicted and imprisoned by the Criminal Court of Marseille for drug trafficking offences involving a similar operation. His connections to organised crime became more apparent through his association with Stevenson, a figure at the centre of a major international cocaine smuggling operation. According to reporting on the case, Stevenson orchestrated a plot to import cocaine worth approximately £100 million from South America, with 119 packages of cocaine hidden in banana boxes from Ecuador seized at Dover.
Who else was involved in the December 2025 operation?
Scott Bannatyne, aged 29, played a supporting role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. On 12 March 2025, several months before the lorry seizure, McAughey was observed exiting his van while clutching a heavy box, which he handed to Bannatyne. Bannatyne then drove away in his own vehicle and was subsequently followed by officers to a nearby property. When police raided that location, they discovered the box containing four blocks of cocaine in the kitchen, along with £3,330 in cash and substances used to dilute drugs for increased profit margins.
Bannatyne's legal representative, Calum Weir, told the court that his client had a young family and was beginning a business venture when his arrest occurred. Mr Weir stated that
his arrest has been catastrophic for his family, appealing for leniency in sentencing. Despite these circumstances, Lord Arthurson determined that a custodial sentence was necessary.
The third person involved in the December operation, who arrived in Scotland after travelling through multiple countries including the Netherlands and Germany, was also identified during the investigation.
What connections does McAughey have to major crime figures?
McAughey's association with Jamie "Iceman" Stevenson represents a significant link to organised crime at the highest level. In 2024, Stevenson was convicted and sentenced for orchestrating the banana-box cocaine smuggling plot. According to reporting on Stevenson's case, his sentence was reduced on appeal from 20 years to 16 years and three months.
McAughey was also connected to the Gillespie Brothers, James and Barry, who have long been targets of Police Scotland's Operation Escalade. These individuals are believed to have been killed while evading authorities in Brazil. The interconnected nature of these criminal networks demonstrates the scale of organised drug trafficking operations spanning multiple continents.
What restrictions will apply after McAughey's release?
In addition to his six-year prison sentence, Lord Arthurson imposed a three-year serious crime prevention order on McAughey to take effect upon his release from custody. This order will place strict restrictions on his associations and activities, limiting his ability to engage in further criminal conduct. The judge emphasised the gravity of McAughey's offences and the need for such preventative measures.
McAughey's advocate, Brian McConnachie KC, told the court that his client intended to reform his behaviour following his release. Mr McConnachie stated that
he is determined to stay on the straight and narrow, though the imposition of the serious crime prevention order reflects judicial scepticism regarding such assurances given McAughey's extensive criminal history.
Key Facts
- Charles McAughey, 65, was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the seizure of 100 blocks of cocaine valued at £8,006,416 at Righead Industrial Estate in Bellshill on 11 December 2025
- Scott Bannatyne, 29, received a three-year sentence for his involvement in a separate handover of cocaine blocks on 12 March 2025 in Newmains, Lanarkshire
- McAughey has eight groups of previous convictions and was previously imprisoned in France in 2017 for drug trafficking involving 684kg of cocaine
- McAughey maintains connections to Jamie "Iceman" Stevenson, who was sentenced to 16 years and three months for orchestrating a £100 million cocaine smuggling operation using banana boxes from Ecuador
- A three-year serious crime prevention order will restrict McAughey's associations and activities following his release from prison
