Gerard McTaggart aged 47-years old acted as a ‘wage’ paymaster to elite gangland figures and their families has now been jailed for four years and eight years.

Mr McTaggart was found delivering bags containing thousands of pounds to several locations linked to organised crime. The accused was sentenced at the High Court in Lanark after pleading guilty at a hearing that was concerned with serious organised crime.

McTaggart was a member of an organisation targeted by Police Scotland’s Operation Escalade which is a long-running intelligence operation into Scotland’s highest ranking organised crime groups.

Kenny Donnelly, deputy crown agent said that “McTaggart performed a function which was to deliver wages to family members of serious organised crime group as part of a money-laundering operation”.

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