Robert Clifford, also known as Robert Stewart, was caught with 65 kilograms - more than 10 stone - of the class A drug carried in suitcases in his HGV. The 54-year-old Scot was sentenced to five years behind bars at the High Court in Edinburgh in April 2021.
Arrest after London to Scotland drugs run
Detectives had been following Clifford as a person of interest. Officers watched on as the courier stuffed a 143lb load of cocaine into cases in the upmarket Kensington area of the UK capital before making a brazen journey north across the border. He was pulled over at Hamilton Service in Lanarkshire on May 28, 2020.
The arrest came as part of Operation Venetic - a massive crackdown described as 'the most significant ever UK operation into serious and organised crime'. It involved Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency and police forces across the UK - which resulted in the takedown of Encrochat, an encrypted global communication service used almost exclusively by criminals.
Haul wrapped in 'Prada' labelled blocks
Images of the huge haul showed dozens of blocks wrapped up in black packaging stuffed inside a suitcase. Each block had the labelling 'Prada' in red text on the front.
Speaking after sentencing, Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Houston, Police Scotland's Head of Organised Crime, said: "Keeping our communities safe and free from the nefarious activities of organised criminals remains an absolute priority for Police Scotland and I welcome the conviction and sentencing of Clifford. Officers work tirelessly to disrupt these activities and the intelligence-led operations, undertaken with our policing and law enforcement partners, led to some of the largest seizures of drugs made in Scotland.
"We continue to work closely with our UK and European law enforcement partners, underlining our determination to target those involved."
Prosecutor welcomes conviction
Jennifer Harrower, Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework, said: "Drugs do great harm to communities across Scotland and with each case of this kind we can help reduce that harm. It is thanks to intelligence that we were able to stop these drugs from reaching Scotland's streets, and this kind of operation is invaluable to us as prosecutors working with our partners.
"We will continue to work as a key part of the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to protect those communities."
Clifford pleaded guilty to the charges when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh in March that year. EncroChat was an encrypted communication network and service provider that sold customised, modified smartphones. It had about 60,000 users worldwide, including around 10,000 in the UK. Law enforcement infiltrated the network in 2020, leading to thousands of global arrests for organised crime.
