James White, 46, was sentenced at the High Court in Stirling after admitting a charge of directing serious organised crime.

His extradition was the result of extensive work between Crown Office prosecutors, Police Scotland, and the Brazilian Federal Police.

In 2018, a European Arrest Warrant was issued for White, of Glasgow, as part of Operation Escalade, a Police Scotland investigation into the country’s most prolific serious organised crime groups who operate on an international scale.

In June 2020, White was arrested in Fortaleza, Brazil, and extradited back to Scotland in August 2022.

Katie Stewart, who leads on international co-operation for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “James White’s return was secured after consideration of the severity of his offences and the impact of offending on his victims. Seeking extradition requires the deployment of considerable resources on the part of COPFS and our partners.

“COPFS is committed to collaborating with international justice partners. The extradition of White shows that such close working relationships between foreign authorities ensures that justice can be served.”

Kenny Donnelly, deputy crown agent, specialist casework, said: “This case shows that justice does not stop at the border, and we will robustly use every avenue across multiple jurisdictions to bring criminals to justice in Scotland.

“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.

“We regularly collaborate across jurisdictional boundaries as part of our commitment to protect our societies and people from harm. And this individual was a prominent criminal who failed in his attempt to avoid justice.”