Gerard McTaggart, 47, of Glasgow, has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for acting as a "wages" paymaster for prominent gangland members and their families.

Officers carrying out surveillance witnessed McTaggart deliver bags carrying thousands of pounds in cash to a number of places connected to organised crime.

McTaggart admitted to being involved in severe organised crime at a hearing in July and was sentenced at the High Court in Lanark.

He belongs to a gang that Police Scotland's Operation Escalade, a long-running intelligence investigation into Scotland's most powerful organised criminal groups, has targeted.

At the hearing, it was heard that between the months of May and October 2019, McTaggart was seen meeting with known members of a prominent crime organisation.

McTaggart was seen transporting supermarket carrier bags filled with cash during 21 separate visits to places connected to the organisation as part of their money laundering schemes.

McTaggart was arrested in October of 2019 in Glasgow and had £14,575 in cash on him.

Deputy Crown Agent for specialist casework, Kenny Donnelly, has commented: “Gerard McTaggart performed a specific function which was to deliver wages to family members of serious organised crime group nominals as part of a money-laundering operation.

“He was a high-profile figure within this crime group.

“Money laundering plays an integral role in a complex, large-scale operation which facilitates the criminal activity of others.

“This successful prosecution sends out a strong message about our determination to disrupt serious organised crime."

Vicky Watson, Detective Chief Superintendent and Police Scotland's Head of Organised Crime, also commented: “As part of one of Scotland’s most prolific crime groups, McTaggart thought he was untouchable and above the law. However, our officers working with partners, brought him to justice as part of Operation Escalade, which since 2014 has now seen nearly 50 people being convicted and jailed.”