A number of criminals have been caged in Scotland after French authorities cracked the highly encrypted EncroChat messaging service in 2020. Gangsters, drug lords, weapons dealers and county lines runners have been rounded up after their dodgy dealings were exposed on the app. The Record's new series will explore Scotland's biggest EncroChat busts - and the individuals behind the deals who believed they were untouchable.
Excited Emu and Butch Penguin
Among the Scottish investigations was a case involving two men identified on the encrypted platform by the handles "Excited Emu" and "Butch Penguin". Alan Stewart was described as the "principle" of the gang, according to prosecutors. The pair were linked through EncroChat communications that formed part of a major investigation into cocaine trafficking. The probe eventually saw Alan Stewart, Leslie Montgomery and Matthew Cullimore jailed for a combined total of 14 years after admitting their roles in a serious organised crime operation.
The trio, who operated as part of an Ayrshire-based gang, were sentenced in September 2024 after pleading guilty to being involved in serious organised crime between March 2020 and October 2022. Before they stood in the dock at the High Court in Edinburgh, investigators pieced together encrypted conversations regarding their drugs network. Stewart used the EncroChat handle "ExcitedEmu", Montgomery operated under the alias "NeatFerret", while Cullimore communicated as "ButchPenguin". The unusual nicknames masked what prosecutors described as discussions surrounding the trafficking of large consignments of cocaine and cannabis.
Thousands of Messages Recovered
Thousands of encrypted messages regarding the organised criminal enterprise were recovered after French and Dutch authorities infiltrated the supposedly secure messaging platform. The chats allegedly referred to £516,000 being owed for drugs, a £100,000 cash payment and "multi-kilogram" hauls of cocaine. One of the investigation's most striking moments came in July 2022. After meeting Stewart in a coffee shop in Kilmarnock, Cullimore travelled to a nearby Burger King, where investigators watched him meet an associate.
Police later alleged the man handed Cullimore a weighted red-and-white supermarket bag for life before the pair went their separate ways. Cullimore then drove to a property in Irvine and when officers later searched the address, they recovered the same bag which was containing £94,980 in cash which detectives said represented the proceeds of crime. It was just one of a series of cash seizures linked to the investigation. The following month, officers recovered a further £44,000 they alleged was connected to the organised crime group.
Surveillance and Cash Seizures
Investigators also carried out surveillance which allegedly captured Cullimore participating in a £200,000 cocaine drop in Kilmarnock during April 2022. Two months later, officers observed him delivering herbal cannabis worth £26,000 in an Amazon cardboard box to a house in the town. The court also heard police examined the banking arrangements of self-employed scaffolder Stewart after identifying what prosecutors described as significant sums being paid into accounts linked to him. Montgomery maintained that money connected to him had come from gambling winnings and an inheritance.
The prosecution told the court the gang's activities had been uncovered as part of Operation Wildcard, a major investigation launched after the international EncroChat hack. Advocate depute Neil McCulloch told the High Court that Stewart was regarded as the "principal" of the group. The Crown said the encrypted messages were consistent with all three men "being involved in the purchase, distribution and supply" of large consignments of narcotics.
Sentencing and Impact
Jailing Stewart for five years and four months, while imposing sentences of four years and four months on both Montgomery and Cullimore, the judge, Lord Clark, said drug dealing causes widespread harm. He told the trio: "It damages the very fabric of society. The supply of these drugs threaten the well being of individuals. A significant custodial sentence for each of you is inevitable." Following the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Steven Elliot said the operation had struck a significant blow against organised crime. He said: "This operation undoubtedly caused significant disruption to a large-scale, cross-border supply chain bringing drugs into Scotland. Police Scotland will not allow criminals and organised crime groups to profit from other people's misery. This sentencing underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country's Serious Organised Crime Strategy. We know that individuals and communities are deeply affected by the drugs trade and do not tolerate the harm it brings."
