Prosecutors are moving to recover money from Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, a gangster once described as Scotland's Tony Soprano, following a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh. A judge has set aside eight days in September 2027 to determine the proceeds of crime action against Stevenson, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to orchestrating a plot to smuggle cocaine worth £100 million from South America in boxes of bananas.
Background of the Case
Stevenson, 60, from Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, was a leading figure in organised crime in Scotland. He was jailed for 20 years for directing the importation of cocaine, which was seized by Border Force teams at Dover in September 2020. The drugs were concealed in 119 packages hidden in banana crates from Ecuador, destined for Glasgow. It took officers three days to recover the shipment.
Five other men were also convicted: David Bilsland, 68; Paul Bowes, 53; Gerard Carbin, 45; Ryan McPhee, 34; and Lloyd Cross, 32. Carbin was jailed for seven years; Bilsland, Bowes and Cross each received six years; and McPhee was jailed for four years. The plot was uncovered after French police infiltrated the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat.
Details of the Criminal Enterprise
Stevenson's drugs operation spanned the UK, Spain, Ecuador and Abu Dhabi. He also planned to flood Scotland with millions of Etizolam tablets, known as street valium, from a factory in Kent. The haul was believed to be worth £100 million on the streets. The factory was raided in June 2020, and Stevenson was arrested in Glasgow but later released on bail. He then fled the UK, spending almost two years on the run before being arrested in the Netherlands.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) stated that Stevenson continued to direct cocaine imports from abroad. Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC previously told the court that EncroChat messages showed Stevenson discussing plans to import kilo blocks of cocaine with Cross, and using Bilsland to provide an appearance of legitimacy.
Proceeds of Crime Action
In December 2025, gang member Ryan McPhee settled the proceeds of crime action against him by handing over £30,000 from a 50% equity share in a house. The High Court heard that McPhee pocketed £255,000 from his criminal activities, but only £30,000 was available for recovery. Lord Summers ordered McPhee to hand over the sum, with the Crown able to resurrect the action if further assets are identified.
Prosecutor Bryan Heaney told the court that the Crown needed more time to prepare cases against Stevenson, Bilsland, Cross and Bowes. Judge John Morris fixed the full hearing for eight days, starting September 15, 2027, at the High Court in Edinburgh.
