Ayrshire crime gang jailed over drugs and dirty cash drops

Alan Stewart, 44, Matthew Cullimore, 37, and Leslie Montgomery, 64, were sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, September 6.

Stewart was sentenced to five years and four months, while Cullimore and Montgomery were each sentenced to four years and four months in prison.

On Friday, 28 October, 2022, officers from Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, supported by officers from the Operational Support Division, Ayrshire Division and Greater Glasgow Division, executed warrants at seven properties in Kilmarnock, Irvine and Glasgow.

The group targeted were believed to be involved in the acquisition, adulteration and distribution of Class A and Class B controlled drugs throughout Kilmarnock, and the wider Ayrshire area, from March 2020 to October 2022. 

Following the search a variety of drugs, including cocaine and amphetamine, were recovered from the properties with an estimated value of around £208,000. Officers also seized over £211,000 in cash from the addresses.

The men were arrested and charged and pleaded guilty when they appeared at Glasgow High Court last month. 

The three men were jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh (Image: Newsquest)

The court heard that the trio were caught after French and Dutch authorities smashed the EncroChat phone network used by criminals, which the gang had been using to organise their illegal activities.

The texts revealed chat including about "multi-kilogram" hauls of cocaine, £516,000 being owed for drugs and a £100,000 cash payment.

In April 2022, Cullimore was clocked by watching police as he carried out a £200,000 cocaine drop-off in Kilmarnock. Two months later, he handed over £26,000 of herbal cannabis in an Amazon cardboard box to a man at a house in the town.

In July 2022, Cullimore initially met with Stewart in a coffee shop before going to a Burger King in Kilmarnock. He met an associate there who gave him a "weighted" red and white supermarket 'bag for life'.

Cullimore then made a stop-off at a house in Irvine. The bag was found there during a later raid and it contained £94,980 of dirty cash.

Detective Superintendent Steven Elliot 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. 

“Anyone who has information or concerns about the sale and supply of drugs in their community is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101. Alternatively, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Serious Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “This was a coordinated effort to distribute significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs in Scotland.  

“These men are now serving prison sentences thanks to an extensive police operation, working with COPFS, to investigate a network of drug supply.  

“With each case of this kind we are reducing the harm that these drugs inflict on Scotland’s communities. 

“We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who are involved in the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities. 

“The Crown will continue working with the police and other agencies as a member of Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to ensure that these crimes are detected and those responsible prosecuted using all measures at our disposal.”