A Highland gangland boss who returned to crime shortly after being freed from prison has been jailed for almost six years.
Ryan Ferguson was snared after nearly half a million pounds of drugs were found stashed in woodland near Alness.
The 30-year-old’s downfall came after police managed to crack encrypted phone messages, which revealed Ferguson called himself “Titanium Otter” and was leading the large-scale drugs operation.
Police and prosecutors today welcomed his sentence, which came just weeks after three of his gang were jailed over their part in the crime.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that Ferguson was so suspicious that police were tracking his associates that he got one gang member – former Alness United player Alasdair Finlayson – to try to buy a drone.
Ferguson was eventually held in June 2022 shortly after he landed from a holiday in Thailand.
He was today jailed for five years and eight months by judge Lord Clark having earlier pled guilty to a charge of being involved in serious organised crime.
‘Assessed to be the head of the organised crime group’
Ferguson, defended by lawyer Graeme Brown, was also hit with a fresh serious crime prevention order – a so-called Super Asbo – designed to tackle and monitor criminals when they’re back on the streets.
The High Court earlier heard he had previously been jailed twice for drug trafficking and money laundering offences.
Ferguson, of Inverness, was freed from his last sentence in 2019.
But, prosecutors stated, from June 13 that year he was back to his old ways.
It emerged he was part of crime mob who had forged links with gangsters based in Glasgow and the North East of England.
Prosecutor Paul Kearney KC said: “He is assessed to be the head of the organised crime group.
“This involved arranging deliveries of controlled drugs, the movement of large sums of cash and creating ‘stash sites’ within different wooded areas of the Highlands.
“He played a leading organisational role in sourcing, purchase and onward supply of kilo and multi-kilo quantities of cocaine.”
The court heard he had contact with numerous associates and discussed drugs and dirty money.
Incriminating encrypted phone messages
Ferguson had been a hit with a Serious Crime Prevention Order in 2019 – and that included him only being allowed access to one mobile.
However, the court heard, he went on to use at least 29 phone numbers and other devices.
This allowed him to run the trafficking operation and initially avoid detection.
Contact with associates was often via the once top-secret Encrochat encrypted phone network used by criminals before the authorities cracked it.
The hearing was told of a number of seizures police made during the probe.
In June 2020, a total of £142,098 of high-purity cocaine was found hidden under moss in Glen Glass woods in the Highlands.
A further £350,000 of the drug was discovered after two men linked to Ferguson were stopped in separate raids.
Around the summer of 2021, Ferguson was captured by hidden cameras on a motorcross bike appearing to make a drug pick-up from a ‘stash site’ near Alness.
Prior to that, Ferguson had arranged with Alasdair Finlayson to buy a drone advertised online.
Mr Kearney: “During that conversation, both mention the police will go ‘mad’.
“It can be inferred that Ferguson was aware of the police surveillance in the expansive woods and that a drone camera would assist him and others.”
But, Finlayson ended up being arrested. The 26-year-old and others were jailed last month after admitting involvement in the drug operation.
Ferguson was arrested at Glasgow Airport on June 8 last year as he returned from holiday with his partner.
The charge he pled guilty to spanned between June 13 2019 and September 17 2021.
Conviction welcomed
Laura Buchan, Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework, welcomed the sentence and said it sent out a strong deterrent against those who blight communities in Scotland through drugs trafficking.
She said: “This was a coordinated effort to bring significant quantities of illegal and harmful drugs to the north of Scotland.
“Ryan Ferguson is now serving a prison sentence as a result of an extensive police operation, with oversight from COPFS, to investigate a network of drug supply.
“We target all who threaten communities across Scotland, from drug couriers to those who direct their movements. With each case of this kind, we reduce the harm drugs have on communities.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Houston, of Police Scotland, said: “Ferguson was identified as the leading figure in the supply chain bringing drugs into the Highlands.
“He was arrested following an extensive investigation into his activities and we welcome his conviction and sentencing.
“Police Scotland will not allow criminals and organised crime groups to profit from other people’s misery anywhere in the country. This case is a good example of how we utilise our resources along with the expertise of partner agencies to disrupt this kind of activity.