Scots kingpin who masterminded drugs plot from prison cell jailed for seven years
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A Scots drugs kingpin who ran a major network from his prison cell to distribute Class A drugs around the country has been jailed for nearly seven and a half years.
Christopher Smith faces the prospect of dying behind bars after an operation to remove a brain tumour from his skull was only partially successful.
The 34-year-old failed to turn up for trial after being granted bail to have the operation earlier this year but changed his plea to guilty after surrendering to police.
Smith’s drugs operation unravelled after detectives examined mobile phones recovered from drug couriers on the Isle of Skye.
They traced a series of telephone numbers back to Smith, who was an inmate in Edinburgh’s Saughton prison at the time.
The serial criminal was sentenced at Livingston High Court on Thursday after earlier pleading guilty to illegally directing and organising the supply of controlled drugs, an offence aggravated by connections with serious organised crime.
He admitted committing the drugs offence at HMP Edinburgh and at addresses in the capital, Inverness, Nairn and elsewhere in Scotland between 8 March 2018 and 12 November 2019.
He also pleaded guilty to failing to appear in court on 9 September.
His accomplices across the North of Scotland were named as Iain MacKenzie, Kieran Shand, Darren Duncan and Ruth Wardhaugh, all c/o Police Scotland’s offices in Inverness.
Advocate depute John McElroy KC told the court that Smith had been found in possession of several mobile phones while he was imprisoned in HMP Edinburgh.
He said: "During unrelated recoveries of mobile phones in other cases, it was observed that there was a correlation between the phones found in the possession of the accused and those recovered from other cases.
“The content of the dialogue between devices pertained to the onward sale and supply of controlled drugs, with the accused directing the owners of those phones to carry this out on his behalf as well as directly supplying controlled drugs.”
Smith even ordered hard drugs to be delivered to Edinburgh’s Saughton prison – along with detailed instructions about how to make varying strengths of crack cocaine for special “customers”.
The advocate depute revealed that Smith’s drug operation began to fall apart after police in Skye received an anonymous call on Friday March 9 2018, stating that the occupants of a Volkswagen Golf were involved in the supply of controlled drugs.
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Officers stopped the vehicle which was occupied by Darren Duncan and Kieran Shand, both from the Moray area.
On searching Duncan, he was found to have a personal quantity of cocaine along with £780 cash, and this was seized from him along with his mobile phone. Shand's mobile phone was also seized at that time.
The advocate depute said: "On examination, these devices were found to contain a large amount of drug-related content including instructions to deliver controlled drugs.
“Messages recovered showed the accused directing the supply of controlled drugs and the enforcement of debts.
“The amount of cocaine to be delivered was worth around £8250. The amount of drug debt to be enforced was £12,000 with £3000 being available to be picked up from the debtor.”
A week later lain – known as Jock – MacKenzie died following a head-on crash after his Subaru left the road in Moray.
A mobile phone recovered from the 24-year-old’s car was found to contain a large amount of drug-related content.
Messages revealed that Smith was directing Mackenzie to send 4g of Cocaine and 1g of Buprenorphine into HMP Edinburgh by recorded delivery.
Due to the inflated price of controlled drugs within the prison environment, the cocaine could be worth around £2,000 and the Buprenorphine about £16.
In total he said, the amounts discussed related to cocaine with a value of between £40,180 and £57,400
Further messages related to the supply of Diamorphine, or heroin, with a potential illicit value of £10,000 and a tick-list with a value of £38,130.
On Tuesday July 16 2019, police acting on a tip-off, raided Ruth Wardhaugh's home in Craigton Avenue, Inverness.
Officers seized 76g of Diamorphine (Heroin) worth £1300 and 22.9g of cocaine valued at around £1500 along with £4,282 cash and a mobile phone.
Analysis of the phone data found telephone numbers attributed to the accused containing drug-related content and messages relating to the supply of cocaine at £1600 per ounce and diamorphine at £460 per ounce.”
Tony Lenehan KC, defending, said that, unlike other drug cases, the quantities Smith had been involved with could be measured in ounces rather than kilos and there had been no international or UK-wide connection.
He added that because a portion of the brain tumour remained, his client was “fatalistic” about where and when his life would end.
Judge Lord Mulholland told Smith, from Elgin, listed a number of aggravating factors, including the scale of the drugs operation, fact that drugs couriers had been under his control while he was in prison and that the offence involved serious and organised crime.
He sentenced Smith to a total of seven years and five months in custody, backdated to May 24 this year,
In addition, he made him subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) for three years, prohibiting him from associating with other criminals and requiring him to report any financial dealings and travel plans to police.
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