Surveillance officers watched Gerard McTaggart, 47, of Glasgow, delivering bags containing thousands of pounds in cash to several locations linked to organised crime.

McTaggart was sentenced at the High Court in Lanark after having pled guilty at a hearing last month to being concerned in serious organised crime. He is a member of an organisation targeted by Police Scotland’s Operation Escalade, a long-running intelligence operation into Scotland’s highest-ranking organised crime groups.

The court heard how, between May and October 2019, McTaggart was seen meeting with associates from a prominent Glasgow crime group. Officers watched him carry weighted carrier bags during 21 visits to premises connected to the group as part of a money-laundering scheme.

McTaggart, a plasterer, was arrested in Glasgow in October 2019 and found to be in possession of a carrier bag containing a total of £14,575 in notes.

Kenny Donnelly, deputy crown agent, specialist casework, said: “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.

“We will continue to collaborate with our partners as a member of Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to tackle serious organised crime and this kind of case highlights the extensive work that has been ongoing against these groups.”