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| Prison for major money launderers | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| One of Scotland's major gangland figures has been jailed for more than 12 years for his part in a massive money laundering operation. | |
| Jamie Stevenson, 41, also known as "The Iceman", used cash from drugs to buy luxury watches and set up a taxi firm. | |
| His stepson, Gerry Carbin, 26, has been jailed for five years and six months for his part in the scheme. | His stepson, Gerry Carbin, 26, has been jailed for five years and six months for his part in the scheme. |
| Stevenson's sentence was believed to be the longest ever imposed in Scotland for money laundering. | Stevenson's sentence was believed to be the longest ever imposed in Scotland for money laundering. |
| At the High Court in Glasgow last month, Stevenson and Carbin admitted a series of charges relating to concealing and receiving criminal property. | |
| Surveillance operation | |
| In jailing Stevenson, judge Lord Hodge described him as a major figure in the world of serious crime. | In jailing Stevenson, judge Lord Hodge described him as a major figure in the world of serious crime. |
| The pair were caught after a massive police surveillance operation. | |
| Officers from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency used listening devices and hidden microphones to listen in to conversations in the men's homes. | |
| Over a period of several months, investigators were able to use the information they heard to trace bags of cash with nearly £600,000 inside, 55 luxury watches worth £307,000 as well as an attempt to set up the taxi firm. | |
| It's clear that your illegal activities were developing over time Lord Hodge | |
| Lord Hodge said: "It's clear that you occupy an important position in the world of organised crime, money laundering provides an essential service to the drugs trade and contributes materially to its profitability." | |
| Lord Hodge jailed Stevenson for a total of nine years and nine months for hiding £204,510 in cash, receiving £389,035 in cash, using criminal proceeds to buy the 55 watches and having a further £5,000 of criminal proceeds. | |
| The judge also gave him an extra three years for receiving criminal property worth £98,605 and using it to buy 10 Skoda Octavia cars. | |
| Stevenson, from Fishescoates Avenue, Burnside, was charged with killing former friend Tony McGovern, the leader of an infamous Glasgow crime clan seven years ago. | |
| McGovern, 35, who was best man at Stevenson's wedding, was shot dead outside a pub in Springburn in 2000. | |
| he pair used some of the money to buy luxury watches | |
| However, the charges against Stevenson, who had been the main suspect, were later dropped by prosecutors. | |
| Carbin, of Campsie Road, East Kilbride, was described by the judge as one of Stevenson's "senior associates" who had a "significant role" in the money laundering group. | |
| He was jailed for his part in laundering cash through the purchase of the luxury watches. | |
| Lord Hodge also gave him five years for receiving £204,510 and 15 months for having criminal proceeds of £7,820 cash, with both of these sentences running concurrently. | |
| Carbin lived with his partner and two young children in a house bought by Stevenson for £280,000. | |
| Lord Hodge told Stevenson that his criminal activities were "developing and expanding". | |
| 'Criminal hierarchy' | |
| "It's clear that your illegal activities were developing over time," he said. | |
| "You had also two large sums of money which were the proceeds of crime. | |
| "This also confirms your position at a very high level in the criminal hierarchy. | |
| "The charges to which you have pleaded guilty represent a high level of criminal activity." | |
| Stevenson owned a flat in a luxury housing complex in Amsterdam | |
| Lord Hodge congratulated the police for catching Stevenson and Carbin during Operation Folklore. | |
| He said: "It is a significant success for the police force. All too frequently only the small players are punished." | |
| Last week the court heard details of the gangsters' operations to hide and process the money. | |
| In January last year police listened in as a man arrived at Carbin's home. | |
| He left a bag that was referred to as "204". | |
| Officers raided the house the next day and found a bag with £204,510 cash inside as well as bundles of banknotes elsewhere in the property. | |
| On another occasion officers listened in as Stevenson described how a taxi firm he was setting up would operate. | |
| The gangster told his wife that a certain amount of money would be coming into the business each month. | |
| During other surveillance last year police discovered that Stevenson and Carbin had bought a number of luxury watches for cash including a Rolex Daytona worth £10,340. | |
| Using the information, officers managed to trace 55 watches that had been bought over a three-year period worth a total of £307,087. | |
| The court heard that Stevenson considered himself to be a car valeter and a jewellery trader for tax purposes. |