Scottish gangster James White 'made £126m from crime'

A gangster from one of Scotland's most prolific organised crime groups made more than £126m from his life of crime, prosecutors have claimed.

Crown lawyers estimated James White, 46, gained £126,241,001.29 while heading up a gang run by brothers James and Barry Gillespie.

Prosecutors launched a proceeds of crime claim and identified assets worth 0.1% of that amount to confiscate.

White was extradited from Brazil and jailed for almost 10 years in August.

Legal papers lodged by the Crown state its estimate that White made £126m from crime - thought to be the biggest sum sought by the Crown in a proceeds of crime action in Scotland - and have identified £118,649.50 which could be confiscated.

The matter, which is being contested by White's lawyers, will be heard in court next year.

At a High Court hearing in Stirling, White, from Gartcosh, Lanarkshire, was sentenced to nine years and 10 months in prison for serious organised crime and firearms offences. The gang was known for dealings in drugs, guns, serious violence and dirty money.

At the time the judge said White's crimes involved "a degree of criminality seldom seen by the courts in Scotland" and he would have sentenced him to more than 15 years if not constrained by law.

The court heard that after the Gillespie brothers disappeared, White took over the gang, which operated on an "international scale" in countries including Italy, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Brazil.

Police believe the Gillespies were killed while on the run in South America.

White, who spoke fluent Spanish, rose to take control of the gang, which forged links with other underworld figures across the globe, a court previously heard.

He left Scotland when associates were arrested during Operation Escalade, Police Scotland's probe into the group.

Becoming one of the UK's most wanted men, he was initially caught using a false passport in Italy in 2020, but escaped to South America.

He was found again several months later by armed police in rented accommodation in Fortaleza, Brazil, using the name Vincent McCall, from Suriname.

White pleaded guilty in June to directing serious and organised crime from May 2013 to March this year.

Prosecutor Scott McKenzie said at the time: "James White is a senior member and has been described as being at the 'top table' directly below James and Barry Gillespie."

White was linked to a £10m cocaine seizure after an HGV was stopped by Border Force officials in Dover in November 2017.

The court also heard that in 2013 White turned on a former friend, drug dealer Robert Allan, over a £90,000 cocaine debt.

Allan fled Scotland when he was not able to sell the drugs. White helped track him down before other gang members tortured him for days.

The hearing was told White was aware of cars and premises being used to hide firearms - including sub-machine guns, Glock pistols and silencers - and dirty money.

White was involved in the widespread selling of encrypted devices for criminals to secretly communicate with each other though a company called Maximum Protection Communications which advertised at boxing events.

The court heard that he sent 33,000 encrypted texts to 70 associates in just two months in 2020, issuing orders including to "petrol bomb" a site in Portugal and to "slash" someone.

He also told his ex-wife that he would return, "if he made enough money and got a 'good deal'".

White said: "£10m would be sufficient and doable this year."

The court heard that an associate told White: "You have that much money you could probably buy Rolex out."

The proceeds case will continue at the High Court in Edinburgh on 8 January.