A new BBC podcast has claimed that notorious crime clan matriarch Mags Haney, known for her vigilante activities and heroin empire, was a police informant. The six-part series, titled 'Ballad of Big Mags', features former detective Simon McLean who asserts that Haney was given leeway by police because she was snitching on other criminals.
McLean, a former undercover officer, told presenter Myles Bonnar that he had 'no doubt' Haney was known to police in Stirling for running a drugs racket but was allowed to continue because of her role as an informant. He stated, 'There’s no, absolutely no ‘if’ about that whatsoever,' adding that many successful criminals inform to some degree to keep police off their backs.
The podcast details Haney's rise and fall, including how a 2000 Daily Record investigation labelled her 'Dealer Number One' and led to a 12-year prison sentence. Haney, who died in 2013 at age 70, admitted to running a £250,000-a-year heroin operation using family members as runners.
Despite her criminal activities, Haney also presented herself as a vigilante against child abusers, even appearing on the Kilroy TV show. The podcast explores this duality, with McLean noting that while the Haneys were a 'small change' nationally, they were a 'big, big problem in their community'.
The 'Ballad of Big Mags' is available on BBC Sounds from Friday, August 8.
