A judge has scheduled a week-long proceeds of crime hearing for September 2027 targeting Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, a notorious gangster described as Scotland's Tony Soprano. The order came during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, where prosecutors aim to recover money Stevenson earned as one of Europe's most prolific drug dealers.
Stevenson's Criminal Empire
Stevenson, 60, from Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty in 2023 to orchestrating a plot to smuggle cocaine worth £100 million from South America in boxes of bananas. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for directing the importation of the drug, which was intercepted by Border Force teams at Dover in September 2020. The cocaine, concealed in 119 packages hidden among banana crates from Ecuador, was destined for Glasgow.
His drug operation spanned the UK, Spain, Ecuador, and Abu Dhabi, and was targeted in a police inquiry named Operation Pepperoni. Stevenson was also involved in flooding Scotland with millions of Etizolam tablets—known as street valium—from a factory in Kent, worth an estimated £100 million on the streets. The factory was raided in June 2020, and Stevenson was arrested in Glasgow but later released on bail. He fled the UK and spent nearly two years on the run before being arrested in the Netherlands.
Co-conspirators and Sentencing
Five other men pleaded guilty to serious organized crime and drug offences in connection with the plot: David Bilsland, 68; Paul Bowes, 53; Gerard Carbin, 45; Ryan McPhee, 34; and Lloyd Cross, 32. Carbin was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Bilsland, Bowes, and Cross each received six-year sentences. McPhee was jailed for four years. The plot was uncovered after French police infiltrated EncroChat, an encrypted messaging platform used by criminals.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC earlier 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. A tonne of cocaine was seized in the Dover raid, taking officers three days to recover.
Proceeds of Crime Actions
In December 2025, McPhee settled a proceeds of crime action against him by handing over £30,000 of his personal assets—a 50% equity share in a house—after the High Court heard he had pocketed £255,000 from his criminal activities. Lord Summers ordered the payment, but the Crown can resurrect the action if further assets are identified.
On Monday, prosecutor Bryan Heaney told Lord Summers that more time was needed to prepare cases against Stevenson, Bilsland, Cross, and Bowes. Judge John Morris fixed a full hearing for eight days at the High Court in Edinburgh, beginning September 15, 2027.
